Bad Romance
by sai ninja
Summary: AU. High school. "Naruto," Sakura abruptly cut him off. "First, I don't have the hots for him, I just want to know how that cold bastard could even be affected by a break-up and second… are you serious? The guy is sex on legs for God's sake!" SasuSaku, M for language, partying, adult content.
1. Welcome to Konoha

**Summary: AU. Sakura moves to Konoha and discovers the world of high school, partying, cheerleading, basketball and of course Naruto's best friend, Sasuke. SasuSaku, NaruHina and other pairings. Rated M for a reason, mostly swearing and lemons!**

**Disclaimer: I totally do not own Naruto. This is all just for fun.**

**So why another SasuSaku high school fic? Because they're so much fun to read and all the clichés make them even better. They're also really fun to write as well! So here's my take on the Naruto gang being in high school. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p><strong><strong>..~**~..<strong>**

Sakura walked quickly down the long lane, eager to see her friend again. As soon as she reached the large red-brick house, she could hear the voices and screams of people in the back garden as well as the splash of a swimming pool. Naruto had warned her that he was having a pool party that day, but she simply couldn't resist passing by his house to see him. Having arrived in Konoha barely an hour ago with her mother, she had ran off to see Naruto instead of unpacking, too excited that she would once again get to hang out with her long-time friend.

Quickly checking her pink hair wasn't in a mess after walking almost ten blocks in the heat, she followed the noise around the house and came upon a large pool with dozens of high school students mostly chasing each other in the pool, lounging about drinking or chatting away among friends.

The day was hot, swimsuits were out and there was booze, but most of all, there were guys! Lots and lots of guys by the look of things and Sakura couldn't help but stare a little at all the shirtless boys around.

Quickly dismissing the idea of ditching her mom in order to stay at Naruto's to party, she ignored the various looks people were giving her and quickly spotted her loud, obnoxious blond friend.

He was surrounded by three girls, who seemed completely smitten with him as they twirled their hair and giggled at everything he said.

"_Well, well, Naruto, aren't you just the player?"_

She soon caught his eye and a large grin broke on his face as he waved towards her enthusiastically.

"Naruto!" Sakura squealed, running to him and pointedly ignoring the glares she received from all three girls.

"Sakura-chan!" he yelled and she threw herself in his arms, hugging him tight. "I'm so glad you're here! This year's gonna be awesome!"

"I know!" Sakura continued to squeal, pulling away slightly. "I can't believe I'm going to live in the same town as you. We are totally going to rock this year!"

Her Inner self was squealing loudly with excitement, jumping up and down at the thought of all the fun she knew she'd have with Naruto this year. On the exterior, however, she tried not to make a fool out of herself and noticed the three girls had taken the hint and left, finding some other guy to flirt with.

Without warning, Naruto quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a nearby lounge chair. A dark-haired guy was sitting there wearing nothing but a pair of black board shorts and a certain air of confidence about him.

She noticed his dark eyes were watching her closely.

"Sakura, you remember my friend Sasuke, right?" Naruto asked cheerfully, stopping in front of the shirtless boy.

Sakura suddenly got a much closer look at Naruto's friend. She remembered Sasuke immediately. She had only met him a few times before when she had visited Naruto over the summers and had never really liked him. The boy she remembered was a stuck-up ass who only seemed to tolerate her presence because she was Naruto's _other_ best friend.

However, she hadn't seen Sasuke in two years and as soon as she caught sight of him, Sakura's green eyes went wide.

_Oh. My. God. He's freaking hot!_

She tried not to stare at Sasuke's toned chest as she greeted him.

"Hello, Sasuke-san," she said politely, forcing her eyes to look up and meet his. "It's nice to see you again."

His onxy-coloured eyes continued to stare at her, his face unreadable as Sakura waited for an answer that never came. She felt Naruto grow restless beside her and gave a small laugh.

"I see you're still as talkative as ever," she added, in a joking tone.

"And I see you're still as annoying as ever," he answered coldly, before standing up and walking away.

Sakura was speechless.

_How fucking rude!_

"Oh nice one, teme!" Naruto growled at his back as Sasuke walked away, downing his drink without a care in the world as he left.

Sakura stood shock still, her mouth agape.

"How are you still friends with that guy?" she growled, turning back to face Naruto. "He's a complete dick!"

Naruto winced a little at her reaction before running a hand through his unruly blond hair and sighing. "Don't mind Sasuke, he's just gone through a really bad break-up, which seems to have turned him into more of an ass."

Sakura shook her head in dismay wondering what the other students of her new high school would be like.

"If you say so," she muttered, unconvinced. "Anyway, I can't stay. I've got to get back and unpack."

Naruto immediately pouted. "But I wanted you to meet my friends!" he whined, his blue eyes shining with mischief. "Plus it's a party and Sakura…. there's tequilaaaa!"

Sakura heard her Inner Self give a loud whoop. "Ha, ha, nice try Naruto, but I really can't stay. My mom would flip. But if you're free this weekend, gimme a call and maybe we can catch up a little before school starts. Say hi to Iruka when you see him."

"'Kay, will do," he told her, pulling her once more for a quick hug. "Say hi to your mom for me!"

****..~**~..****

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><p>The next weekend, Naruto had agreed to have lunch with Sakura and her mom and had then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with them in their new home, a large three-bedroom penthouse flat.<p>

"You want anything else to eat?" Sakura asked Naruto, her eyes glued to the action movie she was currently watching with him.

"Nah, it's cool, I have to get going in a few anyway," he told her. "I promised Sasuke we'd shoot some hoops this evening."

Sakura turned to face him intrigued. "Oh yeah, you and your basketball. You any good now?" she teased, nudging his arm slightly.

"The best," he grinned back. "My friends and I are all on the basketball team, we had try outs last week. Our coach is really serious about winning the championship this year and started training before school even started. We lost the final last year to Oto, but this year we're definitely going to kick their ass!"

"I can't wait to see what the gymnastics team is like," Sakura told him, stretching her legs out. "I hope they're as good as the team in Suna."

Naruto blinked back at her. "Er… I don't think Konoha High has a gymnastics team, Sakura."

"WHAT?" Sakura screeched in shock. "Are you serious? Oh my God, I was so happy being in the same school as you I didn't even think to check out the sports teams. No gym team, that sucks! I guess I'll just have to try-out for the lacrosse team then."

"I don't remember ever seeing one," Naruto answered, fearing the sudden wrath of his pink-haired friend.

"No lacrosse team!," Sakura yelled in return. "What about a drama club?"

"Bunch of losers," Naruto immediately replied, scowling at her. "There's no way you're hanging out with them."

Sakura laughed at his words. "Right and I'm sure you're Mr Popular himself."

Naruto grinned once more at her and Sakura felt her stomach squirm slightly. "You have no idea," he answered slyly. "But don't worry Sakura-chan, it's already a given you'll be hanging out with my friends too."

"But I don't care about popularity, I wanted to be part of the gymnastics team," she continued angrily stomping her foot with indignation. "This totally sucks."

Naruto nervously ran a hand through his hair trying to find a way to comfort his friend. "Well there's always cheerleading."

Sakura gave him a look that told him exactly what she thought of that idea.

"No really, I know you don't take it seriously but our school's squad has a coach and all and they do some pretty good stunts," he continued, trying to peek her interest. "They even compete, you'll love it. I'll talk to Ino about it, she's captain."

Sakura merely shrugged her shoulders. "'Kay. So before you go, how about you tell me about Sasuke," she continued, trying to sound casual. It had bugged her ever since Naruto had mentioned his painful break-up. How had any girl ever managed to go out with him and then break his heart? It just didn't make sense to her.

"Oh Kami, not you as well," Naruto groaned, rolling his eyes. "I swear every chick at our school has the hots for him. I really don't know what they see in him —"

"Naruto," Sakura abruptly cut him off. "First, I don't have the hots for him, I just want to know how that cold bastard could even be affected by a break-up and second… are you serious? How can you _not_ know? The guy is sex on legs for God's sake!"

And before he could say anthing, she quickly added. "And if you ever tell him that, I will personally make sure you spend the rest of the year in hospital!"

Naruto knew better than to argue with an angry Sakura and made a hand gesture indicating his lips were sealed.

"So what happened to poor, little Sasuke that turned him into an even bigger asshole since last time I saw him?" she asked in a teasing voice.

"Don't," Naruto warned her causing Sakura's smile to fade. "He's my best friend and he deserves a lot better than what that bitch did to him."

Sakura nodded, suddenly regretting she'd asked in the first place. However, it still amazed her how Naruto kept defending the guy even though he'd been so openly rude to her.

"Teme dated Karin for a pretty long while last year," Naruto continued with a sigh, his tone somewhat neutral again. "They seemed good together although Karin had somewhat of a reputation of being a slut, but Sasuke didn't care – he'd had his own share of girls as well and liked girls with more – experience."

Sakura knew Naruto was trying to remain polite for her sake but laughed at his choice of words.

"It's okay, Naruto, I get it," she told him, wriggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner before urging him on.

"So yeah, they dated for a while. At first it wasn't exclusive, then it was, then finally just as things seeemed to be getting a lot more serious, she did the one thing that totally caused Sasuke to freak out."

Sakura remained silent, listening intently to Naruto's next words.

"She cheated on him… with his older brother," he finally revealed.

"Noooo!" Sakura let out in astonishment. "Shit, that is harsh. What a bitch!"

"Yeah," Naruto continued, chuckling at Sakura's reaction. "I think Sasuke's brother slept with her on purpose just to rub it in Sasuke's face. They don't get along at all – some sort of rivalry between them to do with clan stuff I think."

Sakura froze at the mention of the word "clan". _Damn, didn't I have enough clan stuff to deal with in Suna? _

Naruto didn't notice and carried on. "Well anyway, it was bad. Sasuke and his brother had this huge fight that dragged all of us into it. Ino and the girls wouldn't let it go either and broke Karin's nose and now Sasuke hates Karin's guts."

"Wow and I thought my school had issues," Sakura spoke up, remembering all the fights Kankuro and Temari had got into as well.

"Yeah, sorry," Naruto apologised with a smile. "I guess you don't want to know all of this before your first day at school. But don't worry Sakura, no matter what, I'll be right by you and make sure nobody gives you any shit."

Somehow picturing him protecting her on her first day of school made Sakura smile.

"Oh Naruto," she told him with a devious glint in her eyes. "You're forgetting that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

****..~**~..****

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><p><strong><strong>So how do you like it so far? Please review! This is my first SasuSaku fic so feedback is much appreciated :)<br>****


	2. First Day

**Happy New Year, everybody!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, you totally made my day :) Here's the rest, hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p>Sakura arrived at school early not really knowing what to expect. The move to Konoha with her mom had been sudden and it had been a given that she would attend Konoha High with Naruto even though she knew barely anything about the school.<p>

The school's reputation was one of the best schools in Fire Country or so her mom had said, although Sakura doubted it could be that good considering it lacked a gymnastics team. Naruto had told her quickly that the school's reputation meant that a lot of rich kids attended including clan heirs and such, but that she shouldn't be peeved by it.

_Speak for yourself, Naruto_, Sakura thought as she walked through the school car park and noticed various expensive-looking cars. Her mom worked as a surgeon at Konoha hospital, which her aunt, Tsunade ran, so her family wasn't exactly poor but ever since Sakura's dad died, her mom had been more careful with money.

Watching yet another gorgeous-looking blonde get out of her white Toyota sports car, Sakura felt a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_I am never going to fit in with these people_, Sakura thought in despair before continuing to look around for her blond friend. _Damn it, Naruto, where the hell are you?_

The school building looked a lot bigger and more imposing than her old one. Sakura followed the other students to the front stone staircase but waited to one side patiently hoping to spot Naruto somewhere.

Beside her, two girls were seated on a bench, although Sakura could barely see them from the amount of boys that surrounded them. They were quickly joined by another girl, the blonde from the sports car. She squealed loudly and rushed around, greeting almost every boy and absolutely loving the attention they were giving her. Next to her smiled a brunette, which Sakura was glad to notice wasn't wearing a skirt and high heels like her blonde friend, but tight-fitted jeans and a pair of converse like herself. The third girl was blushing like crazy at all the attention. Her hair was long and almost purple and she was looking down at her hands, ignoring all the boys that tried to strike a conversation with her.

Noticing the girls' attitude, the attention they received from the boys and the evil glares they received from the other girls, Sakura quickly decided that these girls were probably at the top of the social food chain.

_I guess things aren't so different here from Suna High_, Sakura thought before turning around back towards the school entrance, giving up on finding Naruto.

She quickly found the school office, filling out various forms before getting her schedule from the school secretary, Shiho-san, who wished her good luck.

Finding the junior hall, she walked down the corridor, careful to avoid the popular group of guys goofing around with a basketball ball whilst several girls flocked towards them in order to say 'hi'. Among them, Sakura spotted Sasuke standing by his locker. Although she cared nothing for him after the way he had been rude to her, she couldn't help but notice that he looked pretty good in a navy blue t-shirt and dark jeans. However, her thoughts were interrupted as he looked up towards her as she walked by, his onyx eyes watching her carefully before he finally smirked.

_Asshole_, Sakura thought, resisting the urge to flip him off.

She finally found her locker and dumped most of her books inside, keeping only a notebook with her. Checking her phone, she wondered whether she should simply text Naruto so that he could find her, but then quickly decided against it. She wasn't completely hopeless!

"Hi, are you new here?" a sweet voice suddenly spoke up beside her. Sakura turned to see who was talking to her and came face to face with a slender, red-head wearing a lavender tank top and black shorts. Her outfit was less than classy but Sakura tried not to be too judgemental on her first day.

"Hi, yeah I just moved to Konoha," Sakura smiled back although she had a feeling the other girl's smile wasn't so genuine. "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Fuyukuma Karin," the girl answered bluntly. "So which classes are you in?"

_Oh shit, she said Karin!_ Sakura thought, quickly remembering what Naruto had said about her and realising he'd be angry if he saw Sakura with her.

Unsure what to do next and wondering why the hell Karin was interested in her classes, Sakura started rummaging through her bag, trying to gain some time.

"Um… my schedule is here somewhere," she said with a nervous laugh, hoping the bell would ring. Her hand closed around the sheet of paper just as a hand abruptly clasped her shoulder causing her to jump.

"Sakura-chan."

Naruto suddenly appeared by her side along with two other boys Sakura had seen beside Sasuke earlier. She noticed Naruto's normally cheerful attitude had been replaced with a tense and cold one.

_Oh crap._

"Oh hey," she answered weakly, realising Naruto as well as the other boys weren't looking at her but looking down at Karin instead. "I didn't see you at the school entrance so I thought I'd find my locker."

Naruto kept a firm hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Yeah sorry, I got here late," he answered, his eyes flicking to her and then back to Karin. "What the fuck do you want, Karin?"

The hall seemed to grow silent as people turned around to watch. Karin bravely stood her ground although the three guys were just looking for an excuse to lash out. "I was just introducing myself to the new girl. As President of the student council, it's my role to –"

"Like hell it is," one of the boys wearing a leather jacket growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Suddenly two boys appeared by Karin's side. The first one was incredibly tall, over 6 foot with a large build and spiky orange hair. The second had pale skin and his hair was even paler. His light purple eyes roamed over Sakura's body and she tried not to blush.

"Is there a problem here?" the orange-haired boy asked, his voice deep and calm although his stance was threatening.

_Oh my God, I haven't been to class yet and there's already going to be a fight!_ Sakura thought in a panic as Naruto and his friends looked even more pissed off by the two boys' appearance. Just then the bell suddenly rang causing students to quit staring and start milling around again.

"Naruto, I need to get to class," Sakura spoke up, tugging on his arm and interrupting the stare contest her friend was having with the white-haired guy.

"Yeah, Kiba, let's go," Naruto told the leather jacket guy, turning his back on Karin and her friends and leading Sakura away from them.

"Fucking swim team… bunch of jerks," he muttered under his breath and quickly snatched Sakura's schedule out of her hands as she pulled it out of her shoulder bag.

"Right, let's see what classes you're in," he spoke up again, his bubbling over-excited personality back to its usual self. "Awesome, we're in the same homeroom with Kakashi-sensei. He's also our English professor. He's really cool, you'll see."

Before he could continue, Sakura grabbed her schedule back from him annoyed. "Don't worry I got my first day memorised already. You want to tell me what all that was about back there? I'm sorry you caught me talking to her but I didn't realise it was Karin until she introduced herself."

"Suigetsu and Juugo are part of the swim team," Naruto explained quickly, taking a right down the hall. "And well we don't get along. They're complete assholes, especially with girls so make sure you stay away from them."

Sakura smiled to herself, wondering how much drama her first day would bring about.

"By the way, these are my friends, Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru," he continued pointing the leather jacket guy, who smirked at her and then at the other dark-haired boy who had a high, spiky ponytail. "This is Sakura, my friend I told you guys about already."

Sakura gave them a small smile before they all entered the classroom and the boys went to sit at the back where Sasuke, Sakura noticed, was already seated along with another guy with long dark hair and pale eyes. As she set foot in the classroom, the room turned quiet as several students noticed her and began to stare.

_It's the pink hair_, Sakura tried to reassure herself as she realised the teacher hadn't arrived yet so he couldn't assign a seat for her. _Just the pink hair. You're fine, except you're standing in the middle of the classroom whilst everyone else in sitting down. And now they're all staring at you 'cause you're standing there like an idiot_…

Spotting the only remaining empty seat, which happened to be next to the popular purple-haired girl from earlier, Sakura quickly sat down.

_Great, and now those girls are gonna start bitching at you cause they don't want you near them and then you'll look like an even bigger dork and now you're rambling to yourself 'cause you're an idiot and — _

"Um… hello," her neighbour softly spoke up behind, interrupting her thoughts. "You're Sakura, aren't you?"

Sakura turned to face her and nodded, unsure what to think of the girls of Konoha High after her encounter with Karin.

"Naruto told us about you," the girl continued, signalling to her friends, who had also turned around in their seats to follow the conversation.

"Oh really?" Sakura answered with a nervous smile, her eyes trying to spot Naruto, who was speaking in low tones with his friends. "What exactly did he say?"

"Tons of embarassing things really," the brunette spoke up with a sly smile, which slowly broke into a grin. "Nah, I'm just kidding with you. My name's Tenten, this is Hinata," she introduced, pointing to Sakura's neighbour, "and this here is Ino," she continued pointing to the gorgeous blonde.

"Hello," Ino greeted her brightly.

"Ino?" Sakura spoke up remembering Naruto mentioning her name. "You're captain of the cheerleaders, right?"

"Yep, that's me," Ino answered, flipping her long hair behind her shoulder. "We're friends with Naruto and his group and he asked us to show you around in case you weren't in the same classes as he. Do you have your schedule with you?"

Sakura pulled out her schedule again and the girls compared it with one another.

"Well it looks like in all your classes at least one of us will be with you," Ino finally announced, smiling back at her. "So tell us a bit about you – Naruto didn't really say much except you'd known each other for a long time."

"Yeah, I've known him since we were practically babies," Sakura answered, glad the three girls didn't seem like the stuck-up bitches she thought they'd be. "My family's originally from Konoha and our parents were really good friends. Also my aunt and his godfather are married."

"Wow, your aunt is Tsunade-sama?" Ino asked in surprise. Sakura nodded not really sure how Ino would know her aunt. "That's awesome!"

The other two girls looked surprised too but Sakura didn't get a chance to ask them about it as their homeroom teacher suddenly made an appearance.

"Morning everyone," Kakashi-sensei announced, dumping his bag and coffee on his desk. "Glad to see you all again for your junior year. Let's start with attendance and then I have a few announcements to make."

As he took attendance, Sakura groaned as she realised what was about to happen next.

"Haruno Sakura?" Kakashi asked, looking straight at her.

Sakura nodded.

"So you're the new girl, eh? Well why don't you stand up and tell the class a little about yourself."

He winked at her, knowing exactly how embarrassing this moment would be for her. _Yay, isn't it great to force your students to stand up so they can make a fool out of themselves?_ Sakura thought dryly before standing up.

"Um, hi everyone," she began, giving a small wave. "I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm from Konoha but have lived all my life in Wind country, in Suna. I've just moved back here with my mom, who works as a surgeon at the hospital."

"Anything you want to add about yourself," Kakashi continued slyly. "Likes? Dislikes?"

_I am going to kill this man_, Sakura thought as all eyes turned on her once more.

"Er…" She started thinking of all the things she could say but then how stupid they would sound out loud. _I like my cat… no… gymnastics… no… partying… NO!_

"She likes tequila," Naruto shouted from the back of the class causing the whole class to laugh whilst Sakura turned around to glare at him.

_Make that two men on the hit-list_, Inner Sakura growled before Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto and sat back down in her seat.

"Alright settle down," Kakashi spoke over the laughs and various talking. "As I said I've got several announcements to make."

He continued to speak about various events happening throughout the school year but Sakura drowned his voice out as she noticed Ino and Tenten furiously scribbling on a piece of paper between them.

They stopped as Kakashi began passing around a list with various team and activity tryouts.

"So did you guys hear about Futaba-sensei?" Ino began, turning around to face Hinata and Sakura again. "She finally retired and the principal brought in Uzuki Yuugao to coach us." She seemed really excited. "We are totally going to rock this year, I heard the new coach even wants us to aim for the international cheer competition!"

"That's awesome," Tenten added, passing four sheets among them. "I can wait to see what happens at tryouts."

Looking down at the sheet of paper between her hands, Ino suddenly shrieked. "What the hell? Tryouts are _today_? Why wasn't I informed about this?"

"Are you serious?" Tenten added, looking at her own sheet.

Hinata sighed, shaking her head slightly at her friends' behaviour. "You should tryout, Sakura-san. Naruto told us you were a really good gymnast."

Sakura looked down at the sheet before her and as expected found neither a gymnastics nor a lacrosse team on the list. _Damn!_

"I guess I will, although I don't really know much about cheerleading," Sakura told them with a small smile. "I really wished this school had a gym team though."

"Don't worry about it," Tenten butted in, waving her hand. "Many people don't consider cheerleading a sport, but you have to be in good shape and flexible to be on a squad. Besides, I'm sure you'll find the same components of tumbling and jumps as in gymnastics."

Sakura let out a small sigh. "So all three of you are cheerleaders?"

Ino and Tenten smiled. "Of course we are," Ino said, smiling brightly. "And so will you be. And with your small frame, I bet you could even be a flyer. Besides, being a cheerleader has its advantages," she continued, winking at Kiba all the way at the back of the class. "All the boys are at our feet, plus we get dibs on the cute guys from the sports teams. Of course, you really just want to aim for the basketball or swim team, although Dajimu, on the boy's soccer team, is yummm!"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Ino's words, whilst Tenten and Hinata merely shook their heads at Ino's boy-craziness.

"You may say that, Ino," Tenten spoke up, folding the sheet away as the bell rang. "But we all know who you really want to hook up with."

"Shut up, Tenten!" Ino answered with narrowed eyes. "As if you haven't been drooling all over —"

But Tenten quickly cut her off but grabbing Ino's hand and pulling her out of her chair, all the while muttering about how they were going to be late for Physics.

Sakura laughed softly at their antics and grabbed her bag ready to head out to Maths with Hinata.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto bounded over to her with a huge grin. "We've got Maths together with Hayate-sensei next. Oh hey, Hinata!"

Sakura noticed Hinata turn bright red and barely mutter a 'hi' back to Naruto.

"Wow, Hinata, are you feeling alright?" Naruto asked, staring at her face. "Your face looks kinda red."

"I… I'm… I —"

"She's fine, Naruto," Sakura cut in, heading out of the classroom whilst pushing the blond idiot along with her. "It's just really hot in here. Let's not be late for Maths."

Naruto nodded and turned away, leading them to the next class. Sakura looked back at Hinata, who gave her a grateful look. Sakura smiled back.

_How on earth can this girl be a cheerleader when she's so obviously uncomfortable around boys? _

Shaking her head, Sakura followed her friends to the next class all the while oblivious to the dark onyx eyes watching her.

******..~**~..******

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><p><strong>SasuSaku scenes in the next chapter which should be up this weekend. <strong>

**Reviews are love**! :)


	3. King or jerk?

**Thanks for the reviews guys - I'm glad you're actually enjoying this :)**

**Just a reminder, this is completely AU so don't be surprised to find references to real books, movies or songs even though it's set in Konoha. It's all for fun!**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

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><p>"Sakura, over here!" Ino cried out from her table.<p>

Sakura looked over to where her friend was sitting. The girls were currently seated at a large table along with Naruto and his friends. At the end sat Sasuke. However, three girls Sakura hadn't met yet seemed to hovering around Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura shook her head realising just how much of a player her friend was and quickly made her way over to the table.

Once more, she noticed angry or annoyed stares follow her whenever she approached Naruto or his friends. Like most typical high schools Sakura imagined, the new girl hanging out with the popular crowd on her first day was a big no-no and a cause for much jealousy. However, she ignored the stares and quickly slipped in the empty seat beside Tenten.

Before she could say a word, she overhead the interesting conversations the hovering girls were having with Naruto and Sasuke.

"_Oh Naruto-kun, I can't wait to see you play this season!"_

"_Naruto-kun, are you still single?"_

"_Sasuke-kun, did you have a good summer?"_

It went on and on and on and although Sakura noticed Naruto was having a blast, Sasuke seemed to ignore them all.

"So," Sakura finally spoke up whilst opening her water bottle. "Is it always this busy at your table?"

"Not nearly enough," Ino grumbled, glaring daggers at the long-haired boy sitting across from her. "Some of the soccer players were here earlier, but Neji got all pissy and sent them away."

"You can flirt with whoever you want to Yamanaka, but don't go dragging my cousin into your schemes," the long-haired boy or Neji spoke up, his stare just as cold and threatening.

"Who's Neji's cousin?" Sakura whispered to Tenten.

"Oh sorry," Tenten apologised, turning to face her. "We totally forgot to introduce you. Hey guys!" She spoke louder so that the whole table could hear her. "This is Sakura, Naruto's friend. He's probably mentioned her to you already."

"Hey again," Kiba greeted her with a grin, although a small brunette with almond-shaped eyes sat in his lap with her arms around his neck.

"Sakura, you already know Kiba and Shikamaru, right?"

Sakura nodded.

"The other guys are Shino, Chouji and Lee," Tenten continued, pointing to the three guys sitting at the other end of the table. "Opposite them is Sasuke, but Naruto said you'd met already."

Hearing his name, Sasuke turned his head towards Tenten and Sakura.

Sakura nodded again.

"Right, so that only leaves Neji, captain of the basketball team and Hinata's cousin… and of course all these delightful sluts are their fangirls," Tenten finished through gritted teeth.

"Yeah seriously, Natsume," Ino sneered, glaring daggers at the girl sitting in Kiba's lap. "What the hell are you even doing here? Aren't you dating Daijumi?"

The brunette blushed at Ino's words and hastily excused herself, rushing off to another table and causing Kiba to curse.

"Ino, stop being a bitch!"

"Shut up, dog-boy!" Ino retorted before turning her attention to Sakura. "So Sakura, tell me, did you have fun in Biology?"

The tone in Ino's voice left no mistake as to who she was referring to. Sakura had gone to Biology before lunch with Hinata and Tenten, but had been separated from the two due to seating assignments. She found herself seated next to a very good-looking junior named Ryo with tanned skin and black spiky hair. He was really friendly and offered to share his book with her since she didn't have one. They ended up talking quietly with each other at the back of the class and Sakura quickly found out that he was on the swim team.

"Oh I don't know, Ino," Sakura answered in an innocent voice. "What exactly did you hear?"

"Ha, don't try to fool me," the blonde continued in a whisper. "Ryo is totally hot and totally single! You should go for it. Just don't tell any of the guys, especially Naruto, or they'll freak —"

"Tell me what?" a loud voice boomed across the table, cutting off Ino. "Hey Ino, who the hell are you trying to set up Sakura-chan with?"

"Forget it, Naruto," Sakura answered back, giving him her best smile while eating away at her sandwich.

The girls giggled causing Naruto to frown even harder. "It'd better not be one of those dicks from the swim team! Right, Teme?"

Sakura almost choked on her sandwich as Naruto looked at Sasuke for back-up. _Yeah right, Sasuke, why don't you tell me how I shouldn't date a swimmer?_

All eyes turned to the Uchiha who simply answered with a 'hn', although his eyes suddenly seemed to narrow at Sakura.

Actually scratch that, they were narrowing at something above her.

"Sakura-san," a voice suddenly spoke up behind her.

Sakura froze in place recognising Ryo's voice. Putting her sandwich down, she slowly turned around to face him. "Ryo-kun, what's up?"

_Oh my God, please let there not be anything stuck in my teeth, please let there not be anything stuck in my teeth!_

If it was at all possible, Ryo looked even hotter than earlier in class. At some point he had taken his grey hoodie off and was only clad in a sleeveless red shirt, complimenting his tanned muscular arms.

Sakura tried not to drool.

"What the hell do you want, Saeba?" Naruto growled causing the rest of the boys to tense as well.

_Naruto, shut up! Let the gorgeous man speak!_

Ryo, thankfully, ignored him.

"You forgot your homework sheet in class earlier," he told her, a small smile on his lips as he handed out the paper to her. "Just thought I'd return it to you."

Sakura could almost feel her eyes turn into pink hearts. However, she also felt Tenten suddenly pinch her leg hard, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh right, thanks."

She took the piece of paper, failing to see the glare Ryo sent to the boys behind her.

"I hope I'll see you later," he finished, smiling once more before turning away.

Inner Sakura squealed to her heart's content as Sakura tried to keep an impassive face.

"Real smooth, Sakura," Tenten whispered, trying to contain her laughter.

Sakura groaned as she realised she'd probably made a fool out of herself and turned around to face an angry-looking Naruto.

"That guy's an asshole," he muttered under his breath.

"Oh honestly, Naruto," Ino spoke up, rolling her eyes. "Not every guy on the swim team is an ass! Besides, they might be your school rivals, but as cheerleaders, we have to cheer for them as well, so grow up!"

Just then, the bell rang and everyone stood up to leave for their next class. Sakura followed Hinata and Kiba to History. Once again, due to seating assignments, Sakura found herself separated from Hinata but sitting next to Kiba at the back of the class.

Taking out her notebook, she noticed Kiba seemed intent on pulling up his black hood and sleeping instead of taking notes.

Watching him squirm in his seat, she noticed a small tatoo on the inside of his left wrist as he pulled up his sleeves.

_Just like Kankuro…_

"So Inuzuka clan, huh?" Sakura asked him, looking pointedly at the tatoo. "What are those supposed to be – two red triangles?"

Kiba turned his wrist so she could get a better view. "Yeah, they represent fangs."

"Right, should have known," Sakura said with a smile.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked amused. His sharp black eyes stared directly at her.

"Inuzuka men have distinct traits. Messy brown hair, vertical pupils and of course pronounced_ canine teeth_," Sakura emphasised, trying to remain aloof under his constant stare. "Everytime I come to Konoha and visit Naruto, if we ever go out partying or something, there's always an Inuzuka around."

Kiba laughed softly. "Damn straight. It's a pity I've never seen you around before though. But I guess that's typical Naruto - trying to hide you from us."

_Yeah well I wished he'd done the same with Sasuke,_ Sakura thought remembering the Uchiha's rude attitude towards her.

"So you like tequila, huh?" Kiba broke her thoughts and realising what he'd just said, Sakura laughed.

They continued talking for a few more minutes before their teacher, Asuma-sensei walked in.

******..~**~..******

Her next class was English with Kakashi-sensei again and most of her homeroom class. Although the teacher was nowhere to be found as Sakura arrived, there was once again a seating assignment and this time it was actually drawn on the blackboard.

_Oh shit, please let be next to one of the girls or Naruto_, she thought peering at the blackboard._ Or even Kiba…_

She had continued chatting with him while walking over to the next class and realised the Inuzuka heir really wasn't as bad as she thought he'd be. Sure he was a typical clan kid, popular in school and a player with girls, but at least he was a hell of a lot nicer to her than Naruto's other friend…. namely Sasuke.

She found Naruto's name on the blackboard next to Hinata's.

_Crap!_

She finally spotted her own name, Haruno Sakura, and felt her eyes go wide as she read the name listed next to hers: Uchiha Sasuke.

_What? Nooo!_

And low and behold, the cocky prick was already seated at their desk, glaring at her.

_Okay, what the hell is this guy's problem? He's actually giving me 'evils' and I haven't even spoken to him all day!_

She had managed to avoid him until now which wasn't difficult considering they only had three classes together and when she did see him he was always surrounded by his stupid fangirls.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to their desk, scowling at Sasuke. Dumping her shoulder bag at the foot of their desk, she sat down, intent on ignoring him.

Kakashi-sensei, as for homeroom, hadn't arrived yet even though the bell had rung over five minutes ago.

Everyone else in the class chatted away animatedly so Sakura decided to check her phone even though she knew she wouldn't have any new messages. She noticed Naruto turn around a few times with a worried expression as he saw her sitting next to Sasuke. The ice-block was perfectly content to just sit there and say nothing, although Shikamaru, who turned up late, whispered to him in low tones several minutes before heading for his seat next to Ino.

Sakura felt like an outcast as the two guys whispered right next to her and Shikamaru even looked her way at one point.

Finally Kakashi entered with a pile of books in his hands and began passing them around.

"So here's the first book on the syllabus this year," he announced, raising the said book in the air so everyone could see the cover as they waited for their copy. "_Pride and Prejudice,_ by Jane Austen. We'll be studying it for the next two months so be sure to pay attention as your first test will be a written exam at the end of our study."

Several guys groaned out loud at the announcement of the book whilst the girls smiled and sat up to pay attention.

"I know not all of you will enjoy it but it's a classic and could all teach you a thing or two. Now throughout the study you'll have a partner to help you as the text can be somewhat difficult to interpret so I thought it'd be best you were in pairs. Everyone start with chapter one while I distribute your first homework sheet. Once you're done with the chapter, you may start your homework."

Sakura smiled as she opened her fresh copy of her book. She knew Jane Austen was part of the junior English syllabus, but she never thought her teacher would pick her favourite book of all time.

She already knew the first chapter practically by heart but nonetheless she read it again and then picked up the homework sheet. She scanned the questions quickly but froze at number three: _With your partner discuss what your first impressions of each other were._

_Kakashi-sensei has got to be shitting me! _Sakura thought, looking up to glare at her teacher only to find him comfortably seated at his desk reading another book, which Sakura immediately recognised – Icha Icha Paradise.

_And he's reading an erotic novel in the middle of a high school class!_

Sakura didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but looking over at her partner, she noticed his eyes seemed to have stopped at the very same question as well._ I'm sure Sasuke is going to love telling me again how annoying or boring or ugly or stupid or whatever it is he thinks I am._

Several other students were already whispering to each other, answering the questions and causing Sakura to finally speak up.

"So," Sakura began, clearing her throat whilst turning slightly to face Sasuke. His dark eyes narrowed at the sound of her voice. "I don't see much point in discussing your first impression of me, I think I already know what you think."

"Tch."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Was there something else you wanted to add?"

"You don't want to know what I think of you." Although his voice remained calm, Sakura could tell his mood had visibly darkened. "The only reason I haven't yet asked Kakashi to switch partners for this class is because of Naruto."

His tone was so cold, Sakura was dumbstruck. _What the hell? He can't stand me to the point that he wants to change partners?_

She felt her temper flare in return and struggled to keep her voice a whisper when she spoke to him next. "Okay, what the fuck is your problem with me, Uchiha? Just spit it out, I can take it."

Something dark flashed across his eyes before his face returned to its emotionless state. "You might be more subtle about it than the other girls, but it's fairly obvious what you're after," he told her in a straight forward manner. "Girls like you pretend to be our friends, they want to join our group and date us, but it's always the same. They're just after our money and status. Always."

Sakura looked back at him with wide eyes. _This guy has got some serious trust issues._

"Really?" she asked him, feeling her face turn red with anger. "So you think I'm being fake? That I'm only interested because you're clan members?"

She paused, staring at him in shock and anger.

"You think I'm using _Naruto_?"

Sasuke remained silent for a while, his dark eyes narrowed piercingly at her, accusing her of being someone she wasn't.

"Yes," he finally bit out.

His words hurt deep but she refused to let him see it. Instead she snapped her book shut and forced a smirk on her face. "Wow, well I guess you got me all figured out then," she spat out, furiously gathering her books from the desk and stuffing them in her bag. "I'm obviously just using Naruto to get you guys to… to what exactly – write me a fat check? Because we both know Naruto isn't exactly rich unless you count Jiraiya, his godfather… oh, but hey – I guess you're right! I _am_ a conniving bitch! After all I've already _used_ Naruto and got Jiraiya to pay for my tuition fee this year!"

By now half the class had heard Sakura's angry speech and had turned round in their seats to watch her argument with Sasuke.

Sakura, however, couldn't care less if she had raised her voice and continued to glare at Sasuke, daring him to add another word. The look of disgust and fury in his eyes was still there.

"Jiraiya-sama paid for your tuition?" he repeated sharply.

Sakura immediately caught the accusing tone underlying his words and saw red.

"Yes, because he's my uncle, you dick!" she yelled in anger.

Grabbing her bag, she ignored the gasps and stares and hastily left the classroom just as the bell rang.

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>"No shit, Sasuke got shouted at… by a <em>girl<em>…" Kiba jeered from his seat. "Now that's not something you see everyday."

"Shut up, Kiba," Sasuke growled and shot up from his seat grabbing his own things and making his way out of the class only to be caught up by Naruto.

"Teme, what the fuck did you say to Sakura-chan?" he yelled at him, keeping up with Sasuke's fast pace as they made their way to the gym.

"Is it true?" Sasuke asked him, turning to face him. "Jiraiya-same is her uncle?"

Naruto nodded, looking confused. "Yeah, by marriage. Tsunade's her aunt and she's gonna kill you if you made her niece cry on her first day of school!"

Sasuke winced remembering Tsunade's hot temper. _Shit._

"You'd better apologise to her before the end of the day," Naruto told him, deadly serious. "Sakura-chan's family to me and I want her to get along with my friends, so stop being an ass and fix it!"

Sasuke didn't respond but noticed Ino headed their way.

"Sasuke, you prick, what the hell did you do now?" she asked, frowning hard at him. "Sakura's nice okay, so back off! She isn't one of your clingy fangirls and she isn't being fake. Besides, she's Naruto's friend and Tsunade-sama's niece for fuck's sake, don't you trust them?"

Sasuke glared at her in return. "I didn't know she was related to Jiraiya-sama," he snarled. "I just had to be sure."

"Well you screwed up alright," Ino continued before turning her attention to his blond friend. "Don't worry, Naruto, we got this. The girls and I will find her. Just find an excuse for Gai-sensei, would you?"

She then spun on her heel, catching up with Hinata and Tenten who were already looking out for Sakura.

Naruto sighed hard and shook his head at Sasuke before leaving as well.

In Sasuke's opinion, Naruto was being annoying. But he also knew his best friend could be persistent. If he didn't make an effort to apologise to the pink-haired girl, Naruto would be on his back about it. He scowled at the thought of an Uchiha apologising to anyone, let alone her.

He had watched her from afar all day, befriending his friends, slowly making her into the group. He didn't like it – she couldn't be trusted. He'd seen other girls try and had always got rid of them before. The last person to have joined their group had been Tenten in junior high. Ino and Hinata had become quick friends with her and although she wasn't part of a clan, they had fiercely protected her when Sasuke and the others started to have doubts about the brunette's sincerity. In Tenten's defense, the girl had never once tried to flirt with him, although she did seem to have a thing for Neji. Then last year, Karin had joined their group and Sasuke had slowly let himself be intrigued by her and had responded to her constant flirting. Eventually they had dated and Karin had even admitted that she loved him only to be found in Itachi's bed the following night.

Sasuke still recalled the sharp pain he felt when he realised what had happened. He would still feel it sometimes when he saw the red-head at school, although he never let it show.

He didn't know what to make of Sakura. He had been sure she was just the same, but now knowing she was Jiraiya's niece, he wasn't quite so sure. Besides, she was Naruto's friend. She had been for years. She was the annoying pink-haired friend Naruto was always nagging him about. The one who liked to party and drank too much tequila. The one who lived in Suna but somehow had still been part of Naruto's life since they were kids.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd been too hard on her. But it was too late now. She was more than likely crying her eyes out in the girl's bathroom and wouldn't show up for PE.

Shaking his head, Sasuke walked inside the boy's locker room and began to change for class.

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>Sakura was more than pissed off. She had found her way to the girls' locker room to change into her sportswear but had ended kicking her locker in anger before finally sitting down on the bench in a huff.<p>

_That jerk! Accusing me of using Naruto to get to his money. I can't believe he actually said that to my face! I hate him, I **hate** him!_

The door suddenly opened wide and Ino walked in followed by Tenten and Hinata. They stopped as they caught sight of Sakura and looked at one another.

"What?" Sakura asked them, annoyed.

Tenten sighed, stepping closer to her. "Are you okay?" she asked tentatively.

"No, I'm really pissed off," Sakura answered in honesty.

"But you're not crying?" Ino spoke up, following Tenten's footsteps with Hinata.

"No, of course I'm not crying," Sakura scoffed. "I'm not gonna cry because of that jerk! Anyways, why are you guys even here? Shouldn't you be ignoring me now?"

Sakura knew she was being rude but she couldn't help it. She didn't want people playing games with her.

"Sasuke might rule this school but he doesn't rule us," Ino explained, giving Sakura a small smile. "And there is no way we are letting him scare you off."

"What? Why?"

"Because we like you, Sakura-san," Hinata finally spoke up, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah, sure we agreed to be nice to you for Naruto's sake," Tenten continued, leaning casually against the lockers. "But it turns out you're a fun girl and you don't suddenly turn into a complete airhead when the guys are around. Well, except for Ryo… But seriously, a new girl who doesn't turn out to be yet another fangirl… do you know how refreshing that is?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Tenten's words.

"Yep, you're a keeper," Ino told her, bumping her shoulder softly. "Besides it's not everyday you see a girl stand up to Sasuke and call him a dick to his face."

"That was priceless," Tenten added, a huge grin on her face causing the other girls to laugh. Before Hinata could add anything, however, the locker room door opened and a bunch of girls entered.

"We'd better get ready for class," Hinata told them, moving to her own locker.

Ino smiled once more, putting a reassuringly hand on Sakura's shoulder before getting up as well. Tenten quickly took her place beside Sakura, whispering in her ear before more girls arrived.

"Don't worry about, Sasuke," she added. "He's been through some rough things and has a hard time trusting people. He did the same thing to me back in middle school and I didn't have Naruto back then to defend me."

Sakura felt another smile tug at her lips._ Naruto defended me against his best friend? _

"Don't worry about PE class, just stick with us and think of the try outs coming up afterwards!"

Sakura nodded, thanking Tenten before finally opening her locker and getting changed. It was only her first day at school and she was already thankful to have found the three girls. They'd stuck by her side, which was more than she could say about her old friends in Suna.

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p><strong>So... what happened in Suna you may ask? Well you'll just have to wait and find out... Hope you enjoyed seeing more of Sasuke even if he was being mean!<strong>

**Next chapter: cheerleader try outs and more Sasuke...**

**Please review, thanks :)**


	4. Try Outs

****Disclaimer: I totally do not own Naruto. This is all just for fun.****

**So here starts the cheerleading fun... of course like an idiot I decided to add cheerleading in this story although I know nothing about it... so if anything is wrong, feel free to point it out. I actually researched a few things and watched some cheerleading videos online to get an idea. If you have no idea what the terms I used mean, check them on youtube!**

**Thanks to all your wonderful reviews so far. This chapter is dedicated to BlueSakuraLauren for reviewing all three chapter so far! You rock! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<br>**

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>PE was an interesting class… Gai-sensei was what made it interesting. Sakura could not seem to stop staring at her new teacher's outfit, which consisted of a tight green jumpsuit.<p>

"Alright my youthful students," he announced while making them run ten laps around the gym. "Today is volleyball!"

Fortunately, the class was split into several teams and Sakura didn't have to deal with Sasuke again as she found herself teamed up with Ino, Hinata and Naruto. Her blond friend had barreled towards her at the start of class asking her if she was okay and Sakura had smiled telling him not to worry, that she was a tough girl.

"You sure put Teme in his place," he told her, a grin splitting his face. "It was totally awesome."

Sakura giggled and together they helped put up the net for the game.

"Naruto," she spoke up, stopping him before he went to get a ball. "I'm staying after class for the try outs."

"That's great, Sakura-chan."

"Do you guys have practice after this?"

"Yeah, Gai-sensei's got us training everyday after school to get back in shape."

"Oh my God, Gai-sensei is your coach?" she asked in horror, before turning around to see the green-clad man demonstrate his volleyball skills to Tenten. He was currently striking a pose giving her a thumbs up and a wink and Sakura noticed Tenten's face turn slightly pale.

"Yeah, he's not as bad as he looks. He's only a goof during PE," Naruto explained to her, wincing at his coach's antics. "Trust me, he drives us pretty hard during practice."

"Right," Sakura continued, her eyes flicking back to him. "Any chance you can drop me home after practice then?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks."

Class went by pretty quickly and Sakura could feel the tension growing among the girls as cheerleader try outs came up next. The class bell rang and as everyone filed back to the locker rooms, Naruto wished her good luck.

She nodded and followed Ino, Tenten and Hinata to another part of the school, still wearing her cotton shorts and black T-shirt. Several other girls were following them too and once they reached the school's dojo, Sakura was surprised to see dozens of girls already waiting inside. She recognised a few girls from various classes and spotted at the back, standing straight and glaring at no one in particular, Karin with a couple of girls, who seemed to be her close friends.

_Note to self, avoid the school bitch,_ Sakura thought before quickly pulling out her phone and texting her mom.

_Mom, I think I've gone crazy. I'm trying out to be a cheerleader!_

Her phone vibrated within seconds.

_Don't worry, do your best and I'm sure you'll make it. And you're not crazy! Love you_

Immediately, Sakura texted back.

_You do realise cheerleading involves wearing skimpy outfits, right?_

Her phone vibrated again, just as the new coach walked in the dojo.

_As long as you're okay with it. But don't mention anything to Jiraiya when he comes over to dinner tonight!_

Sakura grinned before putting her phone away just as the room suddenly fell quiet. She looked up towards the cheerleading coach and felt her jaw drop.

She was gorgeous!

She was taller than Sakura but not excessively so. She was slim and wore tight-fitting black pants and a matching black sports bra. Her purple hair was long, more half-way down her back and she had almond-shaped brown eyes.

Sakura quickly realised she wasn't the only girl staring at the new coach in awe.

"Right, gather around quickly!" she shouted and the group moved closer around her. "My name is Uzuki Yuugao, you may call me Yuugao-sensei. I will be the new cheerleading coach for Konoha High this year. I am the best and I expect the best, which is why everyone will be trying out again today no matter whether you were a cheerleader or not last year."

Sakura heard Ino gasp next to her. The blonde opened her mouth ready to complain but the coach silenced her with a look.

"So with that said, let's start, shall we?" she started, walking among the crowd and looking hard at the girls around her. "The squad will contain 15 girls, I'll be looking for 3 flyers only and will divide the rest of you between bases and spotters. However, you must all be able to dance. Cheerleading is not only about cheering for your team, it is not only jumps, tumbles and stunts, it is also about dancing. And if you can't show me those sexy moves, then you might as well leave now."

Sakura's eyes unconsciously searched for Hinata, wondering if the girl would be comfortable enough to be a cheerleader under this new coach.

"Now another couple of things and we'll get started," she added, turning her back to the group before facing them again, her face serious once more. "We will be aiming for the annual international cheer competition being held in Tani this year. This will thus require cheerleaders that are dedicated to their squad and school and ready to train four times a week and perform during games but also during pep rallys and other school events."

The crowd broke out in whispers and Sakura winced. Four times a week, that was a lot of time – a lot of commitment. Did she really want to spend that much time practicing for cheerleading?

"I know it is a lot of responsibility but do not forget the rewards. Thanks to our principal and our sponsor's support, I have managed to get you girls new outfits – sexy outfits might I add, but also the right to use all kind of music for our performances and of course a new name – the Konoha Kunoichi."

All the girls suddenly seemed thrilled again and eager to join the squad.

"And now onto the second thing," Yuugao stated sharply. "Those who simply cannot do the splits or hold an arabesque, please leave now."

More than ten girls picked up their bags and left the dojo.

Sakura stayed on.

"Right, now let's get down to business," the coach announced. "We'll leave the paperwork for when I've made the final list. For now we will do a usual warm-up session and those of you who cannot keep up will have to leave."

After 20 minutes of running in laps around the dojo, followed by warm-ups and stretches, Sakura noticed the group was smaller than to start with.

"Right well since there are a more reasonable number of you, let's see what you girls can do!" Yuugao announced asking them to get in line at one end of the tatami. "We're going to do running tumbles, girls, so show me what you got."

Lady Gaga's _Poker Face_ suddenly came on loudly and Sakura couldn't help but laugh at how crazy it all seemed. Tenten gave her an encouraging nod before standing in line behind Ino. Yuugao-sensei nodded her head and Ino launched off, tumbling across the tatami with a round-off, double backhand spring and a tuck.

From the look on some of the girls' faces, they wouldn't be able to repeat Ino's tumbling performance. A couple of girls even left. Tenten quickly followed Ino, adding more backhand springs and a whip.

Sakura watched ahead as the girls went by one by one, showing off their skills as best they could. She was surprised to find out that Hinata was just as good as her friends. Finally, her turn was nearly up and she took a deep breath wanting to show exactly what she could do.

She knew nothing of cheering, basket tosses or dance routines, but tumbling – now that was her thing. She was a gymnast, she was flexible, she could do the splits and a backhand spring since she was in elementary school. And if she wanted to be on the squad, she knew now was the best time to impress.

She watched as one of Karin's friends put too much power in her tumbling pass and ended up falling backwards, arms flailing about instead of finishing with a layout. Yuugao's face scowled before jotting down notes of her pad.

Then it was Sakura's turn. Letting the music fill her on, she went for it. Starting with a run, she kicked into a front walkover and a round-off, followed by tucks, backhand springs, a double full and then reversed the flow with a front tuck before finishing with a split.

The music stopped and Sakura heard clapping behind her. Yuugao-sensei seemed impressed and Sakura couldn't help but smile.

"Very nice," the coach told her as she finished clapping.

She spotted Ino with her mouth slightly open in shock whilst Tenten and Hinata grinned at her.

"That's awesome, girls," the coach continued, whilst moving over to the mirror wall, ordering them to follow. "Now onto the next part of the try outs. I'm going to teach you a short cheer routine and then you will have fifteen minutes to prepare it individually before performing once more before me altogether. Ready?"

The girls spread out before Yuugao-sensei and Sakura groaned. Now this part, she knew, was going to suck.

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later, Sakura sat down on the bench in front of the school car park, pulling her ipod out of her bag. The cheerleader try outs was over and Yuugao-sensei had promised to post the results on the school's bulletin board the next day. Since the basketball practice hadn't finished yet, Sakura decided to wait for Naruto outside.<p>

The last part of the try outs had been hard, but Sakura had been able to follow most of Yuugao's dance routine and had memorised the cheers as well. Her friends had been awesome, but then again they already had experience in being cheerleaders. However, there had still been more than twenty-five girls by the end of the try outs and Sakura had a feeling she just wouldn't make the cut.

As she flicked through her song list, ready to put her earphones in, she suddenly heard heeled footsteps behind her.

"Oi, new girl!" a high-pitched voice called out and Sakura tensed at the unfriendly tone before turning around.

She immediately recognised the three girls standing before her from the cheerleader try outs. They had been rather good at dancing and cheering, but not so much with the tumbling. The girls stood before Sakura, scowling down at her.

"Um… yes?" Sakura asked, realising she was trapped sitting on the bench.

"I don't know how things went in your old school, but here things work in a different way," the dark-haired girl snapped, looking down at her. "You can't just expect to be friends with the clan heirs on your first day. As the new girl here, you're at the bottom of the social food chain around here so know your place and stay away from Sasuke-kun and his friends."

"Yes, thank you, I already got the memo," Sakura bit back, glancing towards the school entrance, wondering what the hell Naruto was doing.

The other girl's brown eyes narrowed down into slits. "And just so we're clear," she hissed. "Nobody wants you on the squad. So if your name shows up on that list tomorrow, you better give up your place or you might end up getting your ass kicked."

Sakura didn't bat an eye. She had been on the receiving end of threats almost every day during her last month at Suna High.

_And if three skinny fangirls think they can scare me away, then they're in for a surprise._

Sakura slowly stood up and smiled to herself as she noticed the other girls take a step back.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight," she began, her green eyes glinting dangerously. "I tried out for the cheerleading squad just like every other girl. So if Yuugao-sensei puts me on the team, then I'm fucking staying on the team. You and your friends will just have to deal with it."

The girl's face turned so red, Sakura thought she might explode. However, the girl to her right suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, signalling somebody coming their way.

Looking away for a second, Sakura noticed a dark silhouette in front of the school entrance headed towards them.

It was Sasuke.

_Oh God, just kill me now_, Sakura thought watching him approach and then spotting the large smile appearing on the girl's face. _The school king arrives to defend his bitchy fangirls._

"You're in for it now, new girl," the dark-haired girl smirked, before turning towards Sasuke and giving him a warm smile. "Sasuke-kun, what a nice surprise."

Sasuke looked pissed.

"Leave," he ordered and Sakura was stunned when she realised he meant the three girls and not her.

Immediately their smiles disappeared. "But Sasuke-kun, we —"

"Go, now."

His voice left no room for discussion and glancing once more at him then at each other, the girls turned and left in a huff.

_So long, suckers._

However, Sakura was now left alone with the Uchiha, who was staring at her.

"You didn't have to do that," she told him, picking up her shoulder bag on the bench.

He merely raised a brow.

"But thanks, anyways," she blurted out. _Why am I thanking him?_

"Hn."

Silence stooped upon them and Sakura shifted nervously, not knowing what to say. _What is he waiting for? Why isn't he leaving?_

"I'm sorry about earlier," she heard herself speak again before she could stop. She could feel his eyes glance towards her. "I shouldn't have shouted at you in class – it was wrong."

_Why the hell are we apologising to this bastard? _Inner Sakura screamed at her.

Sasuke seemed surprised by her words, although it was hard to tell since his dark eyes guarded his emotions so well.

"What did they want?" he finally asked and Sakura took a moment to figure out he meant the three girls.

"Oh, they wanted me to make sure I knew where my rightful place was as the new girl and of course, they don't want me on the cheerleading team," Sakura answered with a hint of anger. She looked over her shoulder towards the school entrance, noticing Kiba and Shikamaru leaving but still no sign of Naruto. "I don't know what they're so worked up about anyway, I doubt I'll even make the squad."

"You'll make it," Sasuke spoke up beside her. "You're a good gymnast."

Sakura whipped her head around at his words.

"You won a regional award."

She felt her jaw literally fall open. "How did you —?"

"You said so," he replied shortly. "At the cinema."

_At the cinema? _Sakura repeated, completely confused. But then slowly she remembered her last encounter with Sasuke almost two years ago. She had visited Tsunade and Jiraiya for the weekend and had gone to the movies with Naruto. Sasuke had also been there. She could barely remember the whole thing, but she was sure she hadn't spoken to him then.

_Did I even talk about gymnastics? _ She couldn't remember, but apparently Sasuke did.

_Huh, interesting… _

She closed her mouth, wondering why he was suddenly telling her this. Was this his way of apologising to her? She couldn't be sure - she hardly knew the guy. She did, however, notice that he was still looking at her, his dark eyes unreadable.

She took in the view and couldn't help but stare a little at the way his raven bangs framed perfectly his pale face. She felt memorised by the way they swayed in the wind, grazing the top of his blue collar. His eyes were like two bottomless pools of ink that she could easily drown in if ever she wasn't being careful enough…

"Sakura-chan!" A loud voice pulled Sakura from her thoughts and she turned around to see Naruto waving towards her while heading her way.

She smiled at him and turned back to face Sasuke again, only to realise that he had already left, heading for his car.

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><p>"Naruto, you have an <em>orange<em> car?" Sakura blurted out, looking at the Honda sports car. It was pretty fancy and looked incredibly expensive.

"Yeah, didn't I tell you I had a car?" Naruto asked, opening the door for her.

"You never said it was _orange_," Sakura retorted, slipping inside. She was surprised at how neat everything was inside. Apparently Naruto was taking extra care of it.

"I can't believe Jiraiya bought you this! You barely got your license as well," she told him as they sped out of the school car park.

"It's an early birthday present," he told her, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "So how did try outs go?"

Sakura shrugged. "Alright, I guess. The list will be posted tomorrow. How was practice?"

"Tiring," Naruto told her, taking a left through downtown Konoha. "The first game's in two weeks and we're up against a local team, but since we're aiming for the championship, Gai-sensei's trainings are relentless."

They neared Sakura's block of flats and Naruto pulled up in the common car park.

"What did Sasuke want earlier?" he suddenly asked her, turning to look at her. She noticed his blue eyes seemed worried. "Did he apologise to you?"

"Well not exactly, although I guess he did try in his own way to make things right," she reassured him. "You do know your friend has some serious trust issues, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I know, but he's my best friend and so are you and I really want things to work out between us."

"I know," Sakura told him with a smile. "I heard you defended me earlier today and I'm glad you stuck by my side. You know after Kankuro and I broke up, things weren't easy for me at Suna, but I'm glad I have you now."

She knew he had picked up the underlying sadness in her voice, but was grateful when he didn't question her about it.

"I've got your back, Sakura-chan," he said lightly but the sincerity in his clear blue eyes sent a soft tingling through her skin.

Sakura tried to ignore it. "By the way, Jiraiya and Tsunade are coming over for dinner tonight, you're welcome to join us if you want."

"Thanks, but I'm just going to rest for the evening," Naruto answered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-chan."

"Okay." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek on an impulse before hopping out of the car. "Thanks, Naruto, drive carefully."

She didn't notice the way his blue eyes lingered on her as he started the engine again.

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><p><strong>Reviews = love :)<strong>

**Next chapter in a week!  
><strong>


	5. Hokage

**Hey everyone, I bring fic! Thanks for all your amazing reviews, I'm so glad you guys seem to enjoy this so far. I know some people don't like NaruSaku but there will be some moments in this fic so just bare it!**

**I had no idea what to call Sakura's mom in this fic so for the moment she has no name...**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter. It is dedicated to SasuSakuLover4Eva my 20th reviewer! So awesome!**

**So on with the long chapter... 4,400 words this time...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<br>**

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><p>"Sakura-hime, you look even prettier than last time I saw you," Jiraiya cried out, sweeping her up in a big hug, before making the exact same compliment to her mother.<p>

Sakura rolled her eyes at him, before turning to her aunt. "Hello, oba-san."

Tsunade was her only blood-related aunt and Sakura had always been quite close to the woman and her husband, Jiraiya. Sakura's mother and Tsunade had remained close throughout the years even after they had both graduated from med school and Sakura's mother found a job in Suna. They spent most holidays together and visited each other at weekends whenever they could, which was how Sakura became such close frineds with Naruto. They two had often been paired together when Sakura's family visited Konoha.

"Look at my favourite niece," Tusnade exclaimed, cupping her face in her hands. "Already a junior in high school. I hope you'll be working hard this year – I won't stop being on your ass until you become a doctor like your mother and myself, you know."

"Yes, Tsunade," Sakura laughed, grabbing her coat from her. "I promise to work hard."

After showing them around the penthouse and discussing work at the hospital, they all sat around the dinner table as Sakura's mother busied herself serving them the chinese food she had ordered.

"So Sakura," Tsunade spoke up, her honey-coloured eyes looking her way. "How was your first day? Do you like your new school?"

"It's alright," she told them, shrugging her shoulders. "There's no gym team, but I guess the teachers are alright. Except my English teacher – he's an outright perv. He reads Jiraiya's books whilst we're in class."

"Kakashi," Jiraiya muttered, shaking his head and Tsunade gave him a sharp look.

Sakura frowned. "How do you know —"

"And how about the kids?" Tsunade cut her off, sipping her wine. "Were they alright?"

Sakura knew what she was getting at and sighed. "Yes, they're fine. Don't worry, it was nothing like Suna, although I didn't exactly get a warm welcome from the Uchiha kid. Why Naruto is friends with him in the first place, I'll never know."

Jiraiya laughed at her comment. "He's a good kid. And Naruto's known him for a long time. They share a strong bond," he informed her before looking down at his glass of wine lost in his thoughts.

Sakura felt her interest piqued. "How did they meet?"

"When they were little, maybe six or seven, I forget, Sasuke almost drowned in the lake. He had gone out swimming by himself and Naruto found him drowning and saved him. I had gone to buy the kid some ice-cream for a few minutes and when I returned I found them lying on the beach, both drenched and Sasuke looking slightly blue. I took them to the hospital immediately of course and somehow overnight they bonded. The Uchihas were grateful of course and since then Naruto has always been welcome in the clan."

Sakura was completely baffled. Naruto had saved Sasuke's life? "Why have I never heard about this before?" she asked them, looking incredulously at all three adults before her.

Tsunade gave an irritated look at Jiraiya before answering. "The Uchihas wanted to keep the whole thing a secret so not many people know."

"Still… Naruto never told me anything," Sakura added, trying not to sound too dejected.

"So excluding Uchiha Sasuke," her mother continued, refilling Sakura's glass with water, "Did you make any new friends at school, sweetheart?"

"Yeah I guess," she answered thinking about Ino, Tenten and Hinata. "I kinda just stuck with Naruto and his friends. They seemed nice."

"Did they ask you how you knew Naruto?" Tsunade asked nonchalantly and Sakura immediately sensed something in her tone was a little off.

She also noticed her mother abruptly freeze at Tsunade's question and the sudden tension around the table. They were hiding something again.

Sakura dropped her fork. "Alright, cut the crap," she blurted out, her eyes flicking back and forth between her mother and aunt. "What the hell is going on?"

"Language," her mother warned her.

Sakura's green eyes rested on her aunt's honey-coloured ones. "What aren't you telling me, Tsunade-_sama_?" she repeated, putting an emphasis on the honorific she heard Ino use for her aunt.

The three adults looked at each other, guilty written all over their faces.

"It's your job to tell her, not mine," Sakura's mother finally spoke up, returning to her dish as Jiraiya nodded in agreement.

"Well she was bound to find out soon anyway," Tsunade muttered in return, gulping down the rest of the wine.

"Tell me what?" Sakura demanded, a hint of irritation in her voice. _What else have they been keeping from me? _

Tsunade took a deep breath. "Look don't get angry with us just yet, listen to what I have to say first," she told Sakura, staring her down. "There are certain things that we couldn't tell you before not because we didn't want to but because we were trying to keep you safe."

"Safe?" Sakura repeated incredulously, wondering what she was getting at.

Tsuande nodded. "I think you already know about the history of Konoha and of the clans that protected it before. The clans are now more or less what keep the country alive economically since they have turned to various businesses or created their own over the years. Of course, some have been more successful than others - Hyuuga and Uchiha corporations, for example, are well known all over the Five Great Nations whereas the five-star Akimichi restaurants are only known within Fire country. In any case, in order for these clans and thus Konoha to thrive, certain rivalries and petty wars had to be ended and the clan elders decided to put together a council where various clan heads would come together to discuss business and settle arguments for the good of Konoha. These clan heads would ultimately elect a leader who would have the final word on all matters concerning all clan businesses."

"A Kage," Sakura finally spoke up, understanding what her aunt was saying. "The real leader of the village, who stays in the shadows as opposed to the mayor, who is just for show."

The three adults stared at her in surprise.

"You already know about the Kages?" Tsunade questioned her.

"Kankuro is the Kazekage's son and I dated him for almost a year," Sakura answered with a shrug. "I didn't know there were others, but he told me briefly about his dad being the Kazekage and what it meant exactly."

Her mother exchanged a worried glance with her sister.

"It's also one of the reasons why he broke up shortly after," Sakura added as an afterthought.

"His father was probably angry that a high school student was told one of Suna's best guarded secrets," Tsunade retorted, crossing her arms underneath her hefty chest. "Now, what you don't know is that Konoha's current kage – the Hokage – is me."

Sakura blinked, disbelief written all over her face until she noticed the serious faces staring back at her and suddenly felt dumbstruck.

_WHAT?_

Her aunt – Hokage!

It couldn't be true. The Hokage was the most respected and feared person of the village. They took all the major decisions concerning the village and the clans. It just couldn't be Tsunade.

"But – but you're just a doctor!" Sakura exclaimed confused as to why a bunch of arrogant and elitist clan elders would elect her aunt.

Tsunade slammed her hand down on the kitchen table in anger, causing all the plates and cutlery to jump.

"Just a doctor?" she snarled, her eyes staring Sakura down. Jiraiya seated next to her, winced. "I'm not just a doctor, Sakura, I am a surgeon. And I also happen to be the best goddamn surgeon in the country, hell maybe even among the five nations. I have lived in Konoha nearly all my life and have been head of the hospital for almost fifteen years. _Fifteen years!_ And during those fifteen years I have treated more clan members than I care to count and know more clan secrets than all of the village combined. Is that good enough for you?"

But Sakura was barely listening. Instead she was thinking of all the implications this meant for her – or could have meant for her. Especially her last month at Suna High… If she had known then that her aunt was Hokage, if the other kids had known or maybe if only Kankuro had known - how different things would have been then? Would she still be with him in Suna?

She looked up to face her mother, rage boiling within her. How could they keep this from her?

"Tell her," her mother spoke up softly to Tsunade, anxiously glancing at her daughter.

Tsunade also noticed the look of rage on her niece's face. "Don't look at me like that," she admonished the girl. "It's no use being angry, even if we'd told you last year that I was Hokage, you wouldn't have been able to tell anyone. My identity has to remain a secret, no one must know except for those who sit on the council."

"Then how come everyone at my school knows?" Sakura lashed out in anger.

"They don't," Jiraiya cut in, his composure calm as usual. "Only the clan heirs know about your aunt. No one else knows and now that we've told you, you have to keep it a secret as well."

"This is utter _bullshit_!" Sakura yelled, getting up to her feet. "Don't you know how horrible things were for me at school – what I had to go through? I didn't even tell you guys half of it because I didn't want you to worry. But now – _now_, you're telling me you're the fucking Hokage and yet there was still nothing you could have done? Are you serious? What's the point of being the Kage if you can't even help your own fucking family?"

Sakura abruptly left the table, intent of getting as far away from them as possible.

She knew they were right of course. She knew the point of a Kage was that the person's identity was a secret and her aunt couldn't in any way have interfered to help her. But at that point, she didn't care. She was angry and she just wanted to lash out at everybody because in the end - it was all so unfair.

"Sakura," her mother's voice stopped her as she was about to leave the kitchen. "You cannot tell anyone. The Hokage is a dangerous title and as long as Tsunade holds that position we have to be careful."

Sakura looked over her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

She noticed the sad expressions on her aunt and uncle's faces and felt her gut clench.

"Sixteen years ago, Naruto's dad was Hokage," Tsunade spoke up, her voice almost a whisper. "His parents didn't die in an accident, Sakura. They were murdered."

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><p>Sakura stared down at the phone in her hands. Tsunade and Jiraiya had left after dinner but Sakura had remained inside her room, wanting to be alone. Not able to think straight and still mad about everything her family had kept from her, she fished out her phone from her bag, ready to call Naruto.<p>

However, the recent revelation about his parents' murder stopped her. How could she call her friend to complain about anything when his parents had been murdered?

Sighing in frustration, Sakura threw her phone on her bed, scaring the black and grey, tabby cat, sleeping on her duvet. It merely shifted from its seat and went to sit beside her. Sakura began to scratch the poor thing behind its ears, wondering why her mother had insisted on rescuing it from the shelter when Sakura was always the one to look after it. Pulling out her homework, she looked at her English sheet hoping _Pride and Prejudice_ could maybe help her get her mind off things.

It just made her think of Sasuke instead. Summarising the first chapter for her homework, she realised Mrs Bennet acted exactly as Sasuke had accused Sakura of doing. She was intent on marrying one of her daughters with Mr Bingley because she was after his money.

Groaning, Sakura grabbed hold of the book and continued to read another three chapters.

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><p>The next day, Sakura arrived at school wearing her favourite pair of black army boots with a black mini-skirt and tank top along with a tight-fitted cropped army jacket. If she didn't make it on the cheerleader squad, then she'd at least look her damned best.<p>

_Or I'll look even more of a fool_, she thought cynically.

She found the girls at their usual spot on the bench outside the school entrance and watched as Ino flipped her long, blonde hair while chatting away with a couple of seniors. Tenten sat back on the bench, smiling up at a tall, dark-haired junior Sakura had seen in her biology class whilst Hinata looked on shyly.

"My, my, Sakura," Ino greeted in a sing-song voice. "Don't we look hot today?"

Sakura laughed, stopping in front of Ino between the surrounding guys, who let her through. "You look awesome too, Ino," she commented before greeting Tenten and Hinata.

She decided to sit down beside Hinata and keep her company as the other two girls continued to flirt.

"So, is the list up yet?" Sakura asked her nervously.

Hinata shook her head. "Not yet, although it'll probably be up sometime this morning."

Suddenly, Tenten leaned sideways towards them. "Oi, Sakura, heads up!" she whispered urgently.

Sakura looked up just in time to see the swim team walk by. Among them was Ryo.

"Morning, ladies," Suigetsu greeted followed by most of the team. Ino and Tenten responded with a smile as Hinata tried not to blush.

Sakura felt Suigetsu's purple eyes stop on her for a while, but she hardly noticed as Ryo turned his head towards her and winked. Instantly, she felt her insides turn to mush and smiled faintly in return.

_Simply must – __**must**__ – have him!_ Inner Sakura squealed, as Sakura's eyes lingered on Ryo's well defined arms.

"Oh you've got it baaad," Tenten teased her and Sakura stuck out her tongue causing the other girls to laugh.

Hinata's laugh died instantly as she looked up ahead. "Oh dear," she muttered under her breath.

Following her line of sight, Sakura noticed Neji, Kiba and Shikamaru arriving from the school car park, looking their way. They obviously didn't seem too happy with the fanboys standing around.

_And yet they're constantly followed around by girls. Why do they look so pissed?_

"I get that Neji's protective of you, but what's up with the other two?" Sakura whispered to Hinata, watching them approach.

"Kiba's an Inuzuka and they're just naturally really protective of their friends - especially girls," Hinata explained to her. "For Shikamaru… it's complicated."

Sakura raised a brow but couldn't ask Hinata about it as Neji suddenly stood before them. Kiba and Shikamaru continued to walk on, staring down the other guys, who vanished within seconds.

Sakura, however, didn't fail to notice Shikamaru give a last glance back at her blonde friend. Ino's gaze flicked to him once his back was turned.

_Shikamaru and Ino, huh?_ _Is that's what so complicated?_ Sakura didn't have time to think more on it as Neji cast them an icy glance.

"Get to class," he ordered them and Hinata immediately complied, standing up to her feet and heading for the school entrace. Sakura grabbed her bag as well.

"Hinata, wait up!" she called out to the purple-haired girl, not wanting to witness the oncoming argument between Ino and Neji.

She felt bad for leaving Tenten behind with Neji and Ino but had a feeling the girl could handle herself. Looking back over her shoulder she saw her sitting with her arms crossed, in a defiant stance, although her eyes were looking everywhere but at Neji.

"Is there something going on between your cousin and Tenten?" Sakura asked innocently watching her friend's reaction closely.

Hinata's face reddened slightly before she tried to deny it.

_Bingo!_

Sakura shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry, the secret's safe with me," she added, just as the bell rang.

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><p>Sasuke watched the whole scene from the school car park as he waited for Naruto to arrive. He'd always preferred arriving just in time for school so he could avoid his annoying fangirls and because the dobe was always late anyways.<p>

This morning, however, he'd arrived a few minutes earlier and waited by another school bench, away from the flow of students.

He watched as Ino, Tenten and Hinata sat at their usual spot, surrounded by guys from all years trying to get their attention. Neji and Shika were going to be pissed again.

However, his eyes caught sight of pink and followed Sakura as she approached the group and sat down on the bench. He smirked as he caught sight of her clothes – she looked hot.

Woah - what the hell? Did he just think she was hot? Sasuke shook his head. No, this was Sakura! Naruto's annoying pink-haired friend. He couldn't think of her that way, besides Naruto would kill him.

Neji, Kiba and Shikamaru suddenly appeared beside him.

"Morning," Shikamaru greeted him, taking a final drag on his cigarette. Sasuke nodded at them in return.

"Looks like the girls are at it again," Kiba grumbled, looking pointedly at the school bench were the girls sat. They then spotted the swim team approaching. "And those assholes are planning on making the most of it."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru added, crushing his cigarette butt on the ground.

The other boys gave him a _look_.

"What?"

"It's your fault those fuckers are so pissed at us in the first place since you got caught with Toura's girlfriend," Kiba exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Let's go," Neji told them, his eyes fixed on the swim team.

Sasuke finally spoke up. "Keep an eye on the new girl," he told them, keeping his tone neutral.

The three boys stared at him.

"You mean… Sakura?" Kiba asked, a sly grin on his face.

Sasuke nodded. "Ami's already targeted her and if there's a fight, Tsunade-sama won't be happy."

They all winced at the thought of Tsunade's wrath and the three guys took off as Sasuke continued to wait for Naruto.

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><p>Sakura made a small detour by her locker before heading to her homeroom class. Naruto was nowhere to be seen and she guessed he was probably late again.<p>

As she headed inside the classroom, she noticed Kakashi-sensei was already present, although he seemed completely absorbed in his orange book. Sakura guessed he was waiting for the bell to ring. Tenten was sitting beside Neji and angrily whispering to him. Ino sat by the window looking pissed while Hinata, beside her, gave Sakura a small smile.

Sakura headed for the next available seat by the window behind Kiba and Shikamaru.

"Hey guys," she greeted them, hoping they weren't still pissed off.

"Hey Sakura," Kiba greeted her, turning around in his seat. "What's up? You find out about the squad yet?"

_How is it that everyone knows I tried out for cheerleading?_

"Not yet," she told him, watching the other students file in, but still saw no sign of her blond friend. "I'm kinda dreading the result. Do you have Physics next?"

"Nope, Art," he answered. "But this lazy genius will be in class with you. Oi, Shika!"

He nudged Shikamaru, who seemed to be asleep, causing him to jolt. "What the hell, Kiba?"

"Sakura's got Physics with you next. Can you walk with her to class?"

Sakura noticed the way Kiba emphasised the question but thought nothing of it. Shikamaru shrugged. "Yeah, whatever," and then closed his eyes again.

Sakura thanked him and then noticed the class had filled up except for Naruto and Sasuke. The last two available seats were beside her and another girl, who sat on the other side of the room and wore an incredibly low-cut top. Sakura recognised her as one of Sasuke's annoying fangirls, who had been at the cafeteria the previous day.

Just as the bell rang, Naruto strolled inside, looking over his shoulder at Sasuke as the two seemed to be arguing again. As they both noticed the only two empty seats left, Naruto instantly barreled towards Sakura.

"Hi, Sakura-chan," he greeted quietly, sitting down beside her at record speed whilst dumping his bag on his desk.

"Hey, Naruto," she giggled and watched along with the rest of the group as Sasuke, glaring in Naruto's direction, slowly made his way over to the only desk left.

"He's so gonna kick your ass after class, man," Kiba whispered over his shoulder, trying to contain his laughter. Even Shikamaru, awake again, was amused.

"What can I say," Naruto added, his blue eyes sparkling with malice. "It's not right for me to come in between true love."

At that point, Sasuke had reached the other desk as his fangirl looked up at him with heart-filled eyes.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun," she greeted him, giving him a plunging view of her cleavage.

Sakura and the boys could barely contain their laughter, but the annoyed look on Sasuke's face as he sat down caused Sakura to snort. Instantly Naruto buried his head in his bag on the desk, trying not to laugh outloud, whilst the others snickered in their hands.

Kakashi-sensei gave them all a stern look before taking attendance.

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><p>Sakura followed Shikamaru to class and noticed Ino and Tenten ahead whispering among themselves. Tenten actually looked upset.<p>

As they arrived in Physics, the two girls sat together by the window so Sakura decided to sit in the back, beside Shikamaru. She noticed his eyes were closed again.

"Do you sleep through all your classes?" she asked him, wondering how he didn't fail school.

"Depends," he answered, keeping his eyes shut.

"On what?" she asked curiously as she took out her notebook.

His eyes snapped open. "On who's sitting beside me and whether or not I want to get in their pants."

Sakura looked away, trying not to blush underneath his stare. Knowing he was only trying to get a rise out of her, she scowled and called him a pervert.

He chuckled in return. "I'm a sixteen-year old high school student and heir to my clan," he drawled lazily, crossing his arms behind his head. "If girls want to throw themselves at me, I'm not about to stop them."

_Oh my, poor Ino…_

"So these fangirls who want to throw themselves at you," Sakura elaborated in a teasing tone. "Where are they now?"

Shikamaru merely raised a brow. "They're a lot more subtle than Sasuke's."

_Riiight_,_ because fangirls would know the definition of being subtle…._

She shook her head, amused. "Thank God, Naruto isn't like you."

Shikamaru's eyes instantly gleamed. "Trust me, he's just as bad."

She sighed loudly, shaking her head again and then looked up wondering why the teacher hadn't arrived yet. Instead, she noticed the dark-haired girl, who had threatened her the previous day glaring at her from the front row.

Sakura held her gaze.

_Little bitch! I can't believe I have classes with her. God, I hope she doesn't make it on the squad! _

"I see you've made a new friend," Shikamaru stated sarcastically, noticing the stare contest.

Sakura gritted her teeth. "Yeah, seems like she already hates me but I don't even know what I did to her! Do you know her?"

"Ami Matsuda," he told her, just as the teacher entered class. "Troublesome. Dated her for a week. Worst head ever."

Sakura tried not to sputter in front of the whole class as she registered Shikamaru's words.

He smirked in return, glad to get such a reaction from her before shutting his eyes again as class began.

Physics was Sakura's least favourite subject and the teacher wasn't making it interesting at all, so instead of taking notes, she let her mind wander. She looked ahead at Ino and Tenten who seemed to be scribbling notes to each other instead of following class. Sakura wondered why Tenten seemed so upset after her encounter with Neji, but knew better than to pry. Perhaps something had happened between the two previously or they both had the hots for each other but didn't know how to express it. She knew first hand how stupid people in love could be sometimes. Kankuro and her had been at each other throats during her freshman year before either of them realised their feelings for one another.

Besides when dealing with filthy rich, arrogant clan heirs, things always got more complicated before they got better.

The hour slowly droned on and Sakura suddenly wished Naruto was in her class. She still wanted to talk to him about everything she'd learnt the previous night, but knew she'd have to wait until after school.

Finally just as the bell rang and Sakura stashed away her things in her shoulder bag, she noticed Ino immediately reaching for her phone to read a text message.

Within seconds, she was by Sakura's side along with Tenten, dragging her away from her desk.

"Sakura, come on," Ino exclaimed, making her way out of the class and through the crowded hallway. "The list is up!"

Sakura felt her stomach drop. She meant the list for the cheerleading squad.

As they reached the bulletin board, several girls Sakura recognised from the try outs were hovering around hoping to catch a glimpse of the list. Ino barely had to push through as the girls automatically moved aside till the blonde stood right in front of the board.

Sakura came to stand beside her. "Oh God, did I make it?"

She looked hesitantly at the white paper and written in bold letters among a list of fifteen girls, was her name.

**Haruno, Sakura**.

"Yes, awesome, we all made it!" Ino squealed in delight, hugging Sakura tightly, before turning back to tell Tenten and Hinata.

Sakura kept staring at the list in disbelief, a smile slowly tugging at her lips.

_No shit, I'm now officially a cheerleader!_

_******..~**~..******_

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><p><strong>SasuSaku moments in the next chapter, I promise. Hope you liked it and please review - they make my day! :)<strong>_  
><em>


	6. Real nasty Karin

**Hey y'all! Since all your awesome reviews keep inspiring me to write more, here's chapter 6! There's a lot of cheerleader stuff in this one so if you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you check it out on youtube. Also if I get anything wrong, please point it out for me!**

**I'm looking for a beta-reader... if anyone's interested send me a PM :)**

** Hope y'all enjoy this chapter, it's dedicated to Udle my 30th reviewer!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sakura continued to stare at the list. She recognised six names in total, hers, her three friends and two other girls from her junior year. Ami's name wasn't on the list, thank God, but another person's name was on it and it spelled out trouble.<p>

**Fuyukuma, Karin.**

_Crap!_

"Oh my God, you've got to be kidding me!" Ino's voice exclaimed behind her. She must have seen Karin's name on the list too.

"What, who's on the team?" Tenten asked behind them.

Sakura merely pointed at Karin's name on the list, causing Tenten to scowl. "Shit."

Hinata glanced anxiously at her friends. "If Yuugao-sensei put her on the team, there's nothing we can do."

Sakura agreed, trying to lighten their moods. "Come on, there's no point worrying about it now. We're already late for class. Let's just be happy we actually all made it on the team."

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Tenten muttered under her breath before disappearing among the crowd of students in the hall. Ino sighed loudly before heading off towards her locker.

Sakura turned to Hinata, who gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you made it on the squad, Sakura-san."

Sakura linked arms with the Hyuuga girl as they headed to their next class. "Thanks, Hinata. But we're friends now so there's no need for formalities," she told her softly. "Just call me Sakura."

******..~**~..******

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><p>The news of the cheerleading squad spread around the school like wildfire. Suddenly, people Sakura had never met before started talking to her, including some senior girls, Okyo and Kaori, who were also on the squad and who seemed to be friends with Naruto's group.<p>

They walked with her to the cafeteria, asking Sakura about life in Suna until Naruto suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Sakura-chan, you made it on the squad!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a fierce hug. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Naruto." She grinned at him, wondering what the two girls must think of them, but instead she noticed Kaori eyeing her blond friend appreciatively.

"Oh, hey girls," he greeted them. "So you made it on the squad again?"

"Of course," Kaori replied teasingly, stepping closer to him. "Silly Naruto, did you ever doubt us?"

He winked in return and Sakura tried not to let it affect her.

_Stop flirting you prick, I'm standing right next to you!_

"Come on, Kaori, Kagura's waiting for us," Okyo told her impatiently, pushing her friend towards a table full of seniors. "We'll see you at practice, Sakura."

Sakura nodded before joining Naruto in the lunch queue.

"Did you also hear about Karin making the squad?" she whispered to him, never knowing who might be listening.

Naruto immediately scowled. "Yeah, Ino wouldn't shut up about it in class," he told her, grabbing a sandwich and soda.

"Is it really that bad?" Sakura continued, grabbing a water bottle from the drinks stand. "I mean, weren't you guys friends before the whole 'Sasuke thing'?"

He merely shrugged. "We hung out as a group but we were never as close to her as with Ino, Tenten or even Hinata. Besides, since the break-up she's become a real nasty bitch so my advice to you is to stay far away from her."

Sakura groaned. Staying away wasn't really an option anymore if they were both cheerleaders. They were part of a team now.

Naruto turned his head away as they reached the till. "Shit, what's that Hyuuga prick done now?"

Sakura, confused, followed his line of sight towards the large table where they sat yesterday. The guys sat together, but the girls were nowhere to be seen. Instead fangirls happily buzzed around them like bees around honey. Searching the cafeteria, Sakura spotted all three of her friends sitting by themselves at a smaller table.

"You can still sit with us," Naruto invited her as she paid for her meal.

His face looked hopeful but Sakura shook her head. "Sorry, Naruto, they're my friends too now. But don't worry, I'll try and fix things."

She headed towards the table and sat down beside Ino, who looked up at her and smiled. "Hey, we were just looking for you."

"Sorry, had to drop some papers off at the school office and then I ran into some seniors," Sakura explained, biting into her sandwich.

"Oooh, did you meet Hyou or Toura?" Ino asked, her blue eyes suddenly lighting up.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No, _girls_, Ino," she corrected her. "I met Okyo and Kaori."

"They were on the team last year," Hinata informed her, finishing up her yoghurt. "They're really nice."

"And they always invite us to the senior parties as well," Ino added with a sly smile.

Sakura grinned in return, but then caught sight of Tenten sitting across from her. The brunette looked pretty down and her food had barely been touched.

"Are you guys seeing this?" she steamed, glaring angrily at the boys' table. "We don't sit with them for one day and those sluts are all over them again."

Sakura glanced sideways towards the table and sighed. Neji was currently in deep conversation with a pretty senior.

"Tell me about it," Ino answered. "But you've got to quit staring like that, Ten!"

Tenten's eyes slowly turned away from the boys.

"Soooo, what's this all about then?" Sakura finally dared to ask the dreaded question. "What exactly is going on between you and Neji?"

Tenten did not respond, her eyes dropping to her food tray instead.

"She likes him, he likes her, they've both liked each other for a while now but since Neji's a Hyuuga and Tenten's not part of a clan, he thinks his uncle will never approve of her and thus refuses to date her," Ino explained in a nutshell.

"What? Why?"

"He says there's no point in starting a relationship if his uncle will eventually forbid it," Tenten explained, pushing her spaghetti around with a fork.

Sakura had a strange déjà vu about Tenten not being good enough for the Hyuugas and felt even more sorry for her.

"Listen Tenten," she told her, leaning over the table to catch the brunette's attention. "I had a similar situation back in Suna and there's no easy solution. My honest opinion is if Neji won't stand up to his uncle for you, then he's not worth it. No offense, Hinata."

Hinata merely shrugged. "None taken."

Tenten's brown eyes looked surprised.

"Thank you!" Ino exclaimed loudly, throwing her hands up in the air. "That's what I keep saying to her. Forget the Hyuuga ice block, there are plenty of other hot guys around to date."

"Right, until Neji and the others scare them all away," Sakura retorted, amused.

"Oh, you won't be laughing when they start interfering with your love life too, Sakura," Ino told her in a serious tone, waving her fork at her.

_Oh, they can try_, Sakura thought darkly. _I'll kick their sorry asses if they do. Besides, Naruto wouldn't let them anyway._

A shadow suddenly fell across them.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a nasal voice spoke up at the head of the table. "The school slut and her gal pals having lunch by themselves?"

Karin had arrived out of nowhere it seemed, arms crossed and a nasty sneer on her face.

_School slut? Who the hell is she calling school slut when she's dressed like a hooker? _Sakura thought, wondering what the red-head wanted with them.

"What do you want, Karin?" Ino hissed in return, voicing Sakura's thoughts.

"Just thought I'd give you a little warning," Karin stated, staring down at her. "See I'm on the squad now too and I have every intention on making captain. Things are about to change around here, Yamanaka. Your reign is over."

_No way, 'your reign is over'? Did she seriously just say that?_

Opposite Sakura, Tenten bristled. "Just get out of our faces, Karin."

Karin's eyes narrowed into slits. "I'm sorry, this conversation is strictly between clan members," she shot back icily. "No one invited the school pauper. It's already bad enough that everywhere I go today I have to listen to the gossip concerning you and the Hyuuga."

Tenten gritted her teeth, but said nothing.

The red-head looked pointedly over her shoulder towards the boys' table before continuing. "As if a Hyuuga would ever go out with a penniless tramp."

Tenten was up on her feet in an instant, fists clenched. Suddenly, the cafeteria went eerily quiet and everyone's attention seemed turned on them.

"Oooh, struck a nerve, did I?" Karin grinned.

"Just shut the fuck up!" Tenten growled as Hinata put a gentle hand on her arm to stop her from pouncing on the red-head.

Ino slowly stood up as well.

"Wow, Karin," she whispered mockingly, noticing the tension around them. "I knew you were desperate to get Sasuke's attention, but to actually attack us during lunch – now that's just sad."

Karin's eyes went wide at the mention of the Uchiha.

_Busted!_

"Because your pining over Shikamaru, who's screwing every chick in our school, isn't?" she snarled back.

Sakura felt her eyes go wide and realised both Ino and Tenten were ready to hit the girl. Swiftly getting to her feet, she decided to act before things got out of hand.

"Alright, enough!" she exclaimed sliding between them and facing Karin. "You said what you wanted, now leave. Unless you're actually looking trouble, but if we fight, then so do they."

She nodded pointedly towards the basketball team and then looked over her shoulder towards the swim team. Both tables were glaring at each other across the room, itching for a reason to get into a fight.

"And for goodness sake, we are all on the squad together now and Yuugao-sensei made it quite clear during try outs that we'd all have to get along. But if you start causing trouble, Karin, then who do you think Yuugao-sensei is likely to replace? You... or the four of us?"

Karin seemed to hesitate as she took in Sakura's words. Finally the sneer was back on her face and her eyes glittered angrily.

"Whatever, but don't think this is over yet, Pinky." She then stormed out of the cafeteria, purposely bumping Sakura's shoulder none too gently on the way.

Sakura rolled her eyes before turning back to her friends. "Wow, Naruto was right," she stated, rubbing her shoulder. "That girl is a real nasty bitch."

"God, I fucking hate her," Ino steamed, sitting back down in her seat.

Tenten, however, looked utterly miserable.

"Don't let her get to you, Tenten," Hinata spoke up, pulling her friend back down in her seat.

"Yeah, come on, Ten," Ino agreed, trying to catch her eye. "Neji doesn't care about clans. We all know how you guys feel about each other."

"Neji onii-san would be lucky to have you," Hinata added, trying to cheer up her friend.

Sakura felt at a loss as she noticed the tears slowly building up in Tenten's eyes.

"That's not what he told me this morning," she muttered quietly and stood up once more to leave.

"Ten, wait," Ino cried out, going after her.

Sakura and Hinata watched them leave the cafeteria. "Hinata, is there any way you can talk to Neji about this?" she asked gently, hoping there was some way to help her friend.

"I've already tried," Hinata answered quietly. "And so have the boys. He can be very stubborn when he wants."

"Then we'll just have to make him see what he's missing," Sakura told her with an evil smile as a plan started to form in her head. Hinata stared back at her questioningly.

However, before Sakura could answer, someone appeared by her side.

Realising it was Ryo, she felt her heart jump to her throat.

******..~**~..******

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><p>"So, anyone want to guess what <em>that<em> was all about?" Naruto finally spoke up as he watched Karin leave the cafeteria and the tension around the table began to dissipate.

"Dobe…" Sasuke warned him, noticing the anger rising off the Hyuuga. Although they hadn't heard the conversation between the girls, they all knew who it concerned the second Tenten had stood up, looking ready to punch Karin's face. The red-head had made it even more obvious when she had pointedly looked over her shoulder towards their table.

She was taunting Tenten about Neji again.

Kiba turned to their pale-eyed friend. "Man, you need to get that stick out of your butt and just ask her out."

"It's not that simple," Neji snapped at him.

"Then make it simple," Kiba growled in return. "Because leaving her to hang whilst all the other girls, especially _Karin_, like to rub the whole thing in her face – that's not cool."

As if on cue, Tenten suddenly stood up again and hurriedly left the cafeteria. They watched as Ino ran after her.

"I don't understand why those assholes would protect Karin," Naruto said angrily, glaring at the swim team. "I can't believe they would pick a fight with us in the middle of the food hall."

"Suigetsu's got a thing for her," Shikamaru spoke up, biting into his apple.

Sasuke barely listened to the conversation around him. Suigetsu's crush on Karin was nothing new to him. Instead he felt his eyes stray over to the table where a particular pink-haired girl was sitting.

And she wasn't alone.

"Oi, Naruto, heads up," Kiba exclaimed, his attention also on the girls' table.

Naruto looked up in his direction and noticed Ryo Saeba had appeared by Sakura's side. He had some nerve to go talk to her after what had just happened with Karin.

Shikamaru sighed at the sight. "Troublesome."

Sasuke watched on with the others as Sakura turned to face him and smiled. Seconds later, she was even laughing with him. Sasuke noticed Naruto's knuckles turn white as his hands turned to fists.

"He's got her eating out of the palm of his hand," Kiba commented as they watched Sakura make goo-goo eyes at the swimmer.

Sasuke didn't know what Saeba was upto but it was probably bad. The swim team was always looking for new ways to get back at Sasuke and his friends and it seemed the pink-haired girl was their next goal.

"Naruto," Sasuke spoke up.

"On it," the blond answered, leaping to his feet.

However, before he could make a move towards Sakura, the bell rang and students were suddenly filing out to the hallway.

Sasuke watched Saeba disappear among the crowd and wondered why it even bothered him in the first place to see him with Naruto's pink-haired friend.

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sakura rubbed her eyes as she left her last class of the day and slowly headed towards her locker. Ino was chatting excitedly next to her as their first cheerleader practice was coming up. Sakura barely listened to her as she continued to give an elaborate description of last year's cheerleader outfit.<p>

Sakura didn't care much about the outfit as long as it wasn't pink. She was, however, looking forward to practice and learning some new stunts. She was glad to have made the team after all and even more glad that Ryo had come by to congratulate her during her lunch break. That had certainly been the high point of her day so far.

She grinned thinking about the small encounter with the cute swimmer earlier in the day. However, as she followed Ino round a corner of the main hallway, she felt her smile fade. A crowd had formed ahead of them and as the girls approached, Sakura's eyes went wide at the sight before them.

Sasuke had Ryo held up against the lockers with one hand while Naruto stood beside them.

_What the hell?_

Ino, beside her, groaned. "God, can't they give it a break?"

She watched as a glaring Sasuke leaned forward and whispered something in Ryo's ear before letting him go. Just as he did, Kakashi-sensei appeared at one end of the hallway and immediately the crowd dispersed. Ryo smirked at Sasuke, slowly righting his shirt before heading down the corridor as well.

"I wonder what that was all about," Ino told her, stopping at her locker to drop off her books. Sakura continued her way towards Naruto eager to get some answers.

"What the hell were you guys doing?" she asked, looking between the two boys as soon as they caught sight of her.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan," Naruto told her with a smile, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's nothing."

"Nothing, my ass," she scoffed, watching her friend closely. "What happened with Ryo?"

"Stay away from him," a harsh voice spoke up behind her. "He's bad news."

_S_akura immediately rounded on Sasuke. "I wasn't talking to you, Uchiha."

He stared at her and for a second Sakura thought he seemed surprised by her reaction.

_Yeah, that's right, pretty boy. Don't you dare think you can start ordering me around!_

When neither boy was likely to clarify the situation for her, Sakura shook her head and walked off towards her locker.

_Stupid boys!_

"Sakura, you aren't mad, are you?" Naruto's voice spoke up behind.

"What did he do?" Sakura asked him once more, trying to remember her combination. "I know you, Naruto, and I know you don't just attack people in the corridors. He must have done or said something."

Naruto didn't respond but hovered nervously beside her.

Finally Sakura managed to open her locker. "If it was about me, you can just say it," she told him annoyed, stacking her books inside.

"Well not specifically," Naruto answered, leaning against the lockers. "He was just trying to rile us up - well more like Sasuke actually. But teme's right, you know, you really should stay away from him."

"Hmmm and since when do you interfere with my social life? Because if you start acting like Neji does towards Tenten, then I might just have to beat you up," she threatened him in a sweet voice.

Naruto gulped. "Okay, I'm sorry. I won't interfere," he apologised, his hand rubbing the back of his head. "It's just… I don't trust those guys and I don't want you to get hurt."

The sincerity in his voice suddenly wiped away all her anger and annoyance. Naruto always knew how to appeal to her soft side.

Sakura gave a long sigh. "I know you're just looking out for me, but when have I ever been hurt because of a guy?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond.

"Apart from Kankuro!" she added quickly.

He shut his mouth.

"I'm not so naïve anymore, Naruto," she admitted to him with a sly smile. "I know what guys like Ryo are really like, but if I choose to hang out with him or any other guys from the swim team, then you'll just have to deal with it."

Naruto scowled, but before he could protest, Sakura slammed her locker. "And that idiot friend of yours will have to deal with it too."

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sakura stuffed her bag in the changing room locker after taking out her sportswear. She suddenly heard a couple of giggling girls enter the changing room in the far back and took no notice until they stopped at the row of lockers behind her.<p>

"Did you hear about Sasuke-kun and Ryo?" Sakura suddenly heard Kaori whisper. She rolled her eyes and kept on changing clothes. Ino and her friends were already in the dojo.

"Are you serious? Who didn't?" Sakura recognised Okyo's voice.

"Well Hibari-chan heard the whole thing from her locker," Kaori continued excitedly. "Ryo was totally baiting Sasuke-kun on purpose. Apparently he said something about hot girls needing a challenge and that if they all ended up with the swim team instead of the basketball one, it shouldn't come as a surprise."

Sakura felt her lips twitch as she held in a snort. She could almost imagine Naruto and Sasuke's faces as Ryo questioned their manliness.

"No freaking way!"

"I know right!"

"Do you think he was talking about how Sasuke's ex is now hanging out with Suigetsu and that lot?"

"Probably, although didn't you notice Ryo during lunch break?"

Sakura wanted to groan knowing where their conversation was headed.

"No, why?"

"God, Okyo, you need to start paying attention!" Kaori exclaimed in frustration. "Didn't you see the tension between the basketball players and the swim team during lunch?"

"Yes, thanks Captain Obvious, I think everyone saw that."

"Yeah well didn't you see Ryo go to the girls' table after Karin left?"

"Wow, I guess he really was trying to piss the guys off."

"Orrrr, he's _interested_ in someone," Kaori answered proudly.

Sakura's ears suddenly picked up. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping on the girls' gossip but her Inner self was just dying to hear more about Ryo.

"Really? Who was he talking to during lunch then?"

"Sakura, the new girl."

"Oooh, so you think Ryo was actually talking about Sakura and not Karin then with that comment?"

Sakura froze.

"Maybe. But isn't it a little weird then that Sasuke reacted so strongly?" Kaori questioned as both girls began walking away.

"I wouldn't read into it, Kaori. You know how protective those guys can be."

Although their voices began to fade, Sakura still caught the last of Kaori's words.

"Yeah, or maybe he likes her as well."

******..~**~..******

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><p>"Gather 'round, ladies," Yuugao-sensei exclaimed as soon as Sakura entered the dojo. She moved closer in between Tenten and Hinata, trying to ignore what she had just heard in the changing rooms and also Karin's constant glares.<p>

"I have a few words to say before we start to warm-up," she continued sharply, watching each one of them like a hawk. "I have a few rules concerning your looks when you come to practice. First, your hair must always be tied back unless I say otherwise. Your nails must be kept short and I don't want to see anyone wearing jewelry."

At that she stopped in front of Ino, frowning at her like thunder until the blonde quickly took out her silver hoops.

"There will be no talking when I speak, especially when I'm giving out instructions and no complaints. And if anyone ever mentions the word 'spirit fingers' to me, they're off the team. Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nodded on the beat. Sakura felt her breath hitch – their coach was pretty scary.

"Good, now gather closer, I want to show you a tape of last year's winners of the international cheer competition," she announced, turning back to a small television next to the table at the entrance of the dojo. A few girls sat down in front so that everyone could see the video.

"Alright, here it is."

The screen flicked to life and Sakura watched last year winners's performance. Apparently the cheer champion squad was called the Akatsuki.

_Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard_

_When we drink we do it right getting' slizzard_

They were dancing to Far East Movement's _Like a G6_. Sakura watched their advanced stunts and tumbles and felt her jaw drop in amazement.

They were incredible. They could dance, they were sexy and they did some awesome tosses. It was no wonder they had won.

The screen abruptly paused.

"Pick up your jaws, ladies," Yuugao-sensei cut in visibly frustrated. "If you think that was a good performance, you clearly need to get some glasses!"

All the girls seemed visibly startled by the coach's words.

"Let's watch it again, shall we?" The video started over again and Sakura tried desperately to spot the errors in the squad's performance.

"Look at the girls on the left," the coach started, her brown eyes fixed on the screen, "their timing is wrong. Their tosses aren't high enough and their landings are sloppy. The flyer on the right isn't keeping her body tight enough and when they prepare for their stunts things get boring. Their choreography is weak at best."

Sakura still thought they looked amazing and judging by the confused looks around her she wasn't the only one.

"I expect better from you," she suddenly told them stopping in front of the screen. "Of course, I don't expect you to be able to do the same stunts today, but we will work our way up throughout the year. I expect you to train as much as possible and expect you to push your limits continuously so that you will each give the best you can. And by the time of the competition, ladies, believe me when I say, we will be the best."

Sakura felt her nerves go haywire. _Oh dear God, what have I got myself into?_

"Right, now let's go warm-up," she told them, clapping her hands. "Before every practice we will warm-up twenty minutes. I expect you to do the same at home, especially if you want to improve your flexibility. But remember, if you aren't sweating then you aren't warmed up enough!"

Half an hour later, Sakura thought she was going to die. Even gymnastics had never pushed her this hard. After the warm-ups, Yuugao-sensei had wanted to practice tumbling for everyone, making them repeat basic roundoffs, walkovers, backhands and layoffs over and over again to make them perfect. For every girl, she pointed out faults and finally got Sakura and Ino to help and spot for them.

"We're all in this together girls," Yuugao-sensei kept telling them. "Whoever is strongest at one thing must help out the others get better. We must all improve together as a group. Girls who stand out during cheer performances aren't the prettiest ones or the flyers, but the girls who can't keep up with the rest, whose bodies aren't tight enough, whose legs don't snap quick enough. They stick out like a sore thumb. Now once more."

After tumbling, came the jumps and cheers. It was all new to Sakura - learning counts, the words of the cheer, the motions and jumps. However, Yuugao-sensei didn't seem too keen on the cheering and only taught them a quick routine.

"School spirit is important," she told them at the start, "but what everyone really wants to see is your dance moves and the stunts. Girls cheering out letters and colours quickly gets boring. Of course we will cheer and chant at the start of each performance but it will never exceed a couple of minutes. Then the song will kick in and we'll do our thing."

She winked slyly at them then and Sakura noticed half the squad look back at her as if she were mad.

"Of course, I encourage you to write your own cheers," she added quickly, whilst turning to the stereo and fumbling through her CDs. "You can submit them to me whenever you want and I'll consider them."

She clapped her hands once more, something Sakura was going to get used to from now on. Cheerleaders apparently clapped a lot.

"Right, now onto the dance moves," the coach continued, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she walked over to the wall of mirrors. "The first game is next Friday. That gives us plenty of time to prepare our half-time show. The choreography is already set, more or less, but most of it will depend on your dancing skills."

Dance music suddenly filled the room and everyone spread out ready to follow the coach and her counts.

Barely three minutes into the dance routine and Sakura was lost. She didn't seem to be the only one having trouble keeping up but judging from the scowl on Yuugao's face, she had a lot of work to do.

Finally, the last half hour of practice was spent explaining stunts such as full ups and basket tosses. Yuugao-sensei went through a full explanation of how to do a full up and how to dismount before showing them a teaching video.

Sakura bit her lip as she watched the flyer in the video do an extension. She finally realised just how wrong things could go if the girl fell. Yuugao-sensei was taking the first practice extremely seriously and worked hang drills with four girls at a time as everyone else watched. Finally it was Sakura's turn, along with Tenten, Hinata and Kagura, a senior. She tried out all three positions and realised just how toned her body needed to be to do an extension. She also felt a thrill as she tried a full up extension and was somehow successful on her third try.

"That's great, girls," Yuugao-sensei told them as practice was finally over. "I see some of you already have experience with stunts and I have seen great potential for flyers. Now before you leave, please come by my desk to pick up some paperwork. Outfits will arrive tomorrow."

"Hey Sakura, you did pretty good for your first time," Hinata told her as they waited in line by the desk.

"Thanks, Hinata," she answered, rubbing a sore spot on her shoulder. "I didn't realise how tough these stunts were. Ino was pretty awesome. I guess you guys have already learned this stuff, huh?"

Hinata nodded. "Yeah, Ino's a natural flyer, Tenten and I were bases. We did a few stunts but nothing too dangerous. Yuugao-sensei, however, doesn't seem to share the same concerns about safety as our old coach."

"No kidding, that woman is fearless," Sakura whispered anxiously as they approached the table. The papers consisted of parental authorisations as well as a glossary of all cheerleader jumps and stunts, accompanied by technical drawings.

"I hope these help," Yuugao-sensei told them, handing out the last of the forms. "I expect to add full up extensions and liberties if not more to our performance for next Friday, so practice, practice and practice!"

Sakura groaned thinking how much of her time cheerleader practices were going to take. And then there was homework…

_God, I am so screwed!_

_******..~**~..******_

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><p><strong>So that's chapter 6! I don't like Karin but I don't hate her either so I guess she might change into a decent person as things go. She's on the cheerleading team after all. And I totally forgot to ask last time... does the name Ryo Saeba ring a bell to anyone? He was my favourite manga character when I was younger! :)<strong>

**As always, reviews are appreciated!  
><strong>


	7. Uniforms

**First of all, thank you so much for the fantastic reviews! It's always good to have feedback to know what worked in the chapter or not. They really help inspire me to write more and to try and improve. And if anyone wants to help beta-read, the spot is still open!  
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**Once again, there's some cheerleading stuff so if you don't know the technical terms, do look them up. Youtube has some great cheerleading videos :)**

** This chapter is dedicated to **sweetD87**, my 40th reviewer!**

**Enjoy!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 7<br>**

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><p>Sakura walked to the school carpark and looked around at the few remaining cars. Naruto's orange car was nowhere to be seen.<p>

_Aaargh, crap!_

She'd just have to walk back home. She knew she couldn't always count on Naruto for a ride, but from the look of the dark clouds ahead, it was going to rain soon.

"If you're looking for Naruto, he's already left," a deep voice spoke up beside her and Sakura flinched in surprise.

She scowled as she realised it was Sasuke. He was casually leaning against what Sakura assumed was his car, arms crossed over his chest. The air of confidence about him and his overall appearance didn't leave Sakura unphased.

The midnight blue sports car behind him looked fucking nice. It was a Nissan GT-R, a pretty powerful car and the only reason why Sakura recognised it was because Kankuro had wanted the exact same car for his birthday last year, but his father had refused.

"Get in."

Sakura suddenly realised Sasuke had been waiting for her. Naruto had probably asked him to take her home instead.

She groaned inwardly. Naruto was insane if he thought she'd get in a car with the Uchiha.

"It's okay, I'll walk home," she told him, readjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

Her answer didn't seem to please him much. "Don't be stupid," he bit out, causing her to stop and glare at him. "It's going to rain soon. Get in."

He then stepped inside his car expecting her to come along. Sakura was silently seething with anger. There he went again, ordering her about as if he bloody owned her or something.

Glaring once more at the car, she turned her back on him and strode out of the school car park, ignoring the sound of an engine starting behind her. She had barely walked half a block before the sleek navy blue car appeared by her side.

_God, why didn't I just accept the girls' invitation to go the mall?_ Sakura growled to herself as her Inner self sharply reminded her that being stalked by the Uchiha hottie wasn't a bad thing.

The tinted window lowered, revealing an annoyed Sasuke. "Why are you so stubborn about this?"

Sakura firmly kept her gaze ahead, refusing to look at him. "I am perfectly capable of walking home by myself, thank you."

Just as she finished speaking, she felt a raindrop touch her face._ Oh please don't let it rain!_

"It's starting to rain," he pointed out and the smug look on his face nearly caused her to scream out in frustration. "Just get in."

Sakura took a deep, calming breath. "Why do you even care?"

"You're being annoying," he stated simply and Sakura stopped dead and glared at him. She didn't miss the fact that he hadn't answered her question.

"Don't," she warned him in a low voice just as the raindrops began to increase. "I'm not being annoying and I'm not fucking stupid! I just can't get in the car with you, okay?"

She felt her pulse start to quicken and fought to keep her voice steady. "I had a bad car accident a few years ago and now I can't ride in a car with someone I don't know or trust."

His eyes narrowed at her words. "You don't trust me."

Sakura was slightly baffled by the accusation behind his words. What exactly did he expect after the way he had treated her for the first two days of school?

"I don't trust your driving," she admitted truthfully. "I don't like speed and I doubt you bought that car to respect speed limitations."

The rain was falling down steadily now and Sakura felt slightly embarassed to have just told Sasuke about her fear of cars. He was the last person she wanted to open up to.

"Just go home, Sasuke," she finally told him, starting to walk again as the cold raindrops slowly seeped through her thin army jacket.

The car slowly crept forward reaching her level again.

His voice spoke up again.

"Sakura."

And amazingly, she stopped. Not because he had called to her, but because it was the first time since she'd arrived in Konoha that he had actually _said_ her name.

"I'll drive safely," he continued and when she turned to face him, the honest look on his face caught her by surprise.

"I – I don't think-"

"I promise." His tone had softened, if only very slightly and Sakura actually felt reassured.

Or perhaps it was the fact that she really didn't want to walk all the way home in the pouring rain.

In any case, she finally relented, nodding her head once before walking over to the passenger seat. Sasuke opened the door for her from inside and she climbed in, holding her bag in her lap and quickly slipping her seatbelt on.

He waited for her to be finished before heading off. She gave him her address along with a general direction and he nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.

She swallowed, realising she was in _his_ car. In Uchiha Sasuke's car, which smelled of his cologne and cigarettes. They remained silent for a while. Sakura kept her gaze firmly outside her window, trying not to freak out everytime Sasuke accelerated. He must have sensed her fear and gave her an annoyed look.

"I'm keeping my word," he told her, indicating the speed meter.

"I know, I'm sorry," she immediately apologised, taking a deep breath to try and relax.

"If you're so afraid of cars then how do you manage with Naruto?" he asked her amused.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke's teasing remark. It was common knowledge that Naruto was a terrible driver.

"He knows about the accident and is always really careful when he gives me a ride," Sakura explained simply.

_Although I probably shouldn't rely on him to drive me around so much._

"What happened?" he asked her, taking a left as they neared her street.

Sakura froze at the question, trying to ignore the sudden memories flooding to the front of her mind.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she answered quickly, turning her head to stare out the window again.

Sasuke said nothing.

As he reached her home, he pulled up along the sidewalk and Sakura quickly jumped out of the car, pulling her bag up on her shoulder again.

She stopped as she turned around to face him. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Hn." He nodded and as she closed the passenger door shut, the car sped back onto the road.

Sakura stared after it, watching it disappear around the block. Slowly, she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

The rain had stopped, although dark clouds still hung over the village threateningly. Sakura quickly ran up the stairs towards her flat and let herself in. Her mom wasn't home yet from the hospital, but her cat was waiting for her behind the door, anxiously rubbing itself around her legs.

"Yes, yes, food, I know," she said with a laugh, turning towards the kitchen whilst dropping her bag along the way.

Opening the top cupboard, she quickly opened the tin of cat food, emptying its content on a plate.

When she turned around she was surprised to see the tabby cat hadn't yet followed her into the kitchen.

Setting the plate down, she called out to him. "Itachi, come here, Itachi… food's ready..."

The hungry cat quickly appeared through the doorway, making a beeline towards its meal.

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><p>The next day, Sakura sat beside Naruto in homeroom, trying to finish off her Maths homework as she listened to Kiba and Naruto try and make sense of <em>Pride and Prejudice<em>.

"Did you get that question about Darcy's pride?" Naruto asked his friend, desperately trying to copy off him.

"Don't bother, man," Kiba answered, leaning back on his chair. "I don't understand half the words of that book. Too bad I couldn't get hold of Hinata to help me out."

"I think it's because he's rich or something," Naruto continued flipping through the book until he spotted Shikamaru asleep behind him. "Hey, how 'bout we just copy Shika's answers."

"Not a chance," Shikamaru warned them instantly, although his eyes remained closed. "Do your own homework, idiots."

Naruto then turned to face Sakura. "Ne, Sakura-chan, can't you help us out? We usually have the cheerleaders do our homework and since you're one of them now…"

"There's no way in hell I'm doing your homework, Naruto," Sakura spoke up, still preoccupied with Maths. "Just read the chapters again and figure it out yourself."

"But this is your favourite book," Naruto continued with a bright smile, trying to butter her up, "and I really, _really_ need your help here."

"No way! This is your favourite book?" Kiba spoke up behind them, turning the book over in his hands as if it held some kind of secret. "Why?"

"Because it's like the ultimate love story," Sakura tried to explain, turning around in her seat to face them. "Forget Romeo and Juliet, in Pride and Prejudice the main characters don't even realise they're in love until halfway throughout the book. Actually Elizabeth even hates Darcy for most of it. It's the leading anticipation until the point when they admit their feelings to each other that's thrilling."

Realising Naruto and Kiba were looking at her as if she'd grown a second head, Sakura's enthusiasm abruptly died.

"Forget it, you guys aren't even the least bit romantic," she added, turning back to her homework.

"Hey, that's not true! I can be romantic," Naruto tried to defend himself. "Last night, I totally paid for Ayumi-chan's ramen and movie ticket."

Sakura's face fell slightly as she realised Naruto had been on a date the previous night. _What the hell, Naruto was on a date last night and he didn't even tell me? I guess that's the reason why he left so quickly after practice…_

"So you finally scored a date with that hot senior?" Kiba asked, winking at him. "Anything happen?"

Sakura tried to act normal as her pencil suddenly snapped in her hand.

Naruto glanced at her sideways before answering. "No, not really. I guess we'll see how things go."

Sakura felt relieved to hear nothing had happened between them.

_Woah, back up_! _Why am I acting like some jealous girlfriend? Why do I even care if Naruto's dating a girl? _

But as the sudden thought of Naruto making out with some random girl made her seriously cringe, Sakura realised without a doubt that maybe her feelings towards her idiot best friend weren't so platonic.

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><p>The girls sat apart from the boys again at lunch and Sakura felt rather relieved. She had spent all morning thinking about Naruto's date and wondering why it bothered her so much. Had she really fallen for her best friend? Or was it simply that she was jealous of Naruto paying attention to other girls?<p>

They'd spent two weeks together in Konoha over the summer and had been out quite a few times clubbing. They'd had a good laugh, dancing together, getting drunk and sometimes hooking up with random strangers, but nothing had ever happened beyond the club – they had always gone home together. And yet Sakura had never felt any kind of physical attraction to him. Sure, he was hot! Hell she had seen him quite a few times in boxers only and had resisted the urge to openly stare at his large, tanned chest, but her feelings for him had never gone beyond friendship.

So why now? What was bothering her so much about Naruto dating some girl? Was she really so insecure as to think Naruto would forget about her if he got a girlfriend?

Or maybe she was just looking out for him. After all, she knew him better than anyone else in school, she'd known him all his life and now that she knew about his parents' murder, perhaps she was feeling even more protective of him. Nobody wants their best friend's heart getting crushed.

_Naruto isn't looking for love, you idiot, he just wants to get laid like every other guy in this school! _Inner Sakura retorted, mocking her.

Blowing out a deep breath, Sakura threw down her fork, having only eaten half her pasta. She really had to stop thinking of Naruto or she was going to do or say something stupid.

"Sakura, you alright?" Ino suddenly asked her.

Sakura realised she hadn't been paying attention to the table discussion at all and had rather rudely cut them off with her sigh.

"Yeah, sorry," she apologised quickly. "I was just thinking about Maths' homework."

"Or rather some hot guy," Tenten cut in. She was back to her usual self that morning, although she had decided to ignore Neji completely now and had refused to eat with the guys again.

Sakura felt her stomach clench. _Oh my God, they know about Naruto!_ Trying to act coolly, she reached for her water bottle to take a sip. "What do you mean?"

"I meant Ryo, silly," Tenten explained, looking at her strangely. "Why, has someone else caught your eye? You know, a little birdie told us Sasuke took you home yesterday -"

Sakura suddenly choked on her water, spraying half of it across the table. "Sasuke? What? No way! There is nothing going on!"

"Sorry," Tenten laughed at her. "I kinda did that on purpose."

"Although the lady doth protest too much, methinks," Ino added slyly.

They laughed out loud as Sakura glared back at them. "I'd rather go out with Gai-sensei."

"Ewww!" Ino groaned in distate as the others scowled from the nasty mental images.

"You can't be serious?" Tenten exclaimed, looking at the boys' table out of the corner of her eye. "Sasuke is gorgeous! He's the school heart throb, you know."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "He has his own personal fanclub."

Sakura finally cracked a smile. "That's ridiculous! Are you serious? I mean I get the looks and all, but he has no personality. He never seems to show any emotion. Talking to him is like talking to a wall!"

_No emotions, huh?_ Inner Sakura teased sarcastically. _But wasn't that concern he showed for you yesterday when he took you home?_

Sakura chose to ignore the small voice at the back of her head. Yesterday hadn't meant anything. So he had given her a ride home… big deal!

"Neji's the same," Hinata admitted, finishing her meal. "Although reading their emotions becomes easier the more you know them."

"Well Sasuke's constant glaring is pretty easy to decipher," Sakura commented with a hint of sarcasm. "I think I should start count of the number of times he's called me 'annoying'."

"Wrong, that's just his way of showing he cares," Tenten continued to tease. "You should go for it!"

"Yeah and if the constant glaring bothers you too much just put a paper bag over his head and focus on the hot body instead," Ino added jokingly.

The girls stopped and stared at Ino in disbelief for a few seconds before dissolving into peals of laughter.

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><p>The rest of the afternoon went a lot faster than Sakura thought it would. Her first class had been English again with Sasuke but the two-hour period went a lot faster this time around since Kakashi-sensei had made them study a different text from Jane Austen to compare it with <em>Pride and Prejudice<em>. Sakura had spent the whole time daydreaming, trying not to fall asleep as Kakashi droned on and on about Jane Austen's writing style and characters. It was interesting, but following classes after lunch was just so damn hard. She sneaked a few glances towards Sasuke wondering if he was actually taking notes and realised he was merely doodling on his notepad. She finally stopped when his dark eyes suddenly staring back at her instead.

Art was a blast. It was the only class besides homeroom and P.E. where the students could talk freely and Sakura spent the whole time chatting away with Ino. They were studying surrealism and Kurenai-sensei asked them to sketch an animal, which they would then paint the following week. Sakura tried to draw a surrealist cat, but didn't get very far as Ino kept distracting her with gossip. It had already been decided that the girls would go to Ino's place after practice to try on the new cheerleading outfits and Sakura, after much convincing, agreed to go. The class ended with Naruto proudly exhibiting his surrealist fox, which had nine tails. Although only a sketch, Sakura was actually impressed - it was a hell of a lot better than the furry blob she'd drawn.

Finally it was practice time and the girls met up in the dojo again. Yuugao-sensei made them go through the same warm-up exercises before practicing tumbling again, especially roundoffs, backflips, whips and tucks.

Those who continued having trouble tumbling practiced over and over again as Yuugao-sensei made the rest of the girls, including Sakura, practice a synchronised tumbling routine.

"Next Friday's performance will include a lot of tumbling, mostly synchronised, so you must always keep count in your head," she informed them, watching distastefully as Ino and Kaori were out of sync. "Once again! No one wants to see a bunch of idiots tumbling at different speeds! Kaori, you need to keep up with the rhythm – Ino, you're starting too early."

After several more attempts, their coach seemed somewhat satisfied and they quickly moved on to the cheers, which went rather smoothly. Sakura remembered most of the words along with the routine of jumping and clapping.

When it came to the dance routine, Sakura was lost again. She could dance, but her memory was terrible and so she couldn't anticipate the movements at all. The worst part was when she caught sight of herself in the mirror, trying to catch up with the rest of the group. She looked like a klutz.

_And the complete opposite of sexy_, she thought in despair as Yuugao-sensei suddenly paused the music.

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing?" she stated sharply, her purple eyes looking quite fiercesome. "You look like an uncoordinated monkey!"

Sakura's face turned red as several other girls including Karin snickered none-so-subtly.

"Ino, Tenten!" Yuugao-sensei called out, catching the girls' attention. "Since you girls don't seem to have any trouble following my simple routine, I'll ask you to help out your less fortunate teammate and make sure she gets it right before the end of the week. I want the first part of the routine to be flawless for everyone by Monday!"

Since Sakura had failed pretty badly at the dance routine, she tried to do her best for stunts. As the previous day, the girls practiced in groups of four, one after the other, except this time, only a handful of girls switched to being flyer, including Sakura. As her turn came, she was once again with Tenten, Hinata and Kagura. They seemed to work well together and unlike other groups, they already had the position they initially wanted: Tenten as spotter and Hinata and Kagura as bases. This time around, Sakura kept her body tight, used her arms to keep her balance and managed a full up extension on her first try.

She kept her arms up, looked straight ahead and as a final touch - she smiled.

"Excellent, Sakura," Yuugao-sensei exclaimed, assessing her full up. "It seems we got ourselves a foursome. Now let's see if you guys can handle a full up liberty."

The difficulty with the next stunt, Sakura realised as their coach began to explain it, was that this time she was held only by one ankle. She had seen Ino just before struggling to hold that position with her group for at least five seconds. The foursome practiced holding Sakura by a single ankle a couple of times until she was able to hold a liberty.

"Good," their sensei encouraged them. "Tomorrow, I'll let you guys practice by yourselves since you seem comfortable enough handling these stunts."

The next group had more trouble since both Karin and another junior named Fuki, who was in a few of Sakura's classes, were competing to be flyer. Fuki, who was petite and already had experience seemed the obvious choice, but Karin was being stubborn.

"Karin, I think it works best with you as spotter and Fuki, flyer," Yuugao-sensei eventually decided, hands on her hips. "You're simply too tall to fly, which is why you have trouble keeping your balance. You'll be perfect as a spotter to help steady or balance the stunt."

Karin looked anything but pleased, but didn't dare contradict the fiercesome coach in public.

As soon as practice was over, the excitement within the dojo seemed to reach a whole new level as Yuugao-sensei made her way over to the desk where stacks of boxes were piled, containing the new cheerleader outifts.

"Alright, ladies, this is the moment you've all been waiting for," she exclaimed loudly, gesturing for them to approach the table. "I'm going to hand out uniforms to all of you today and I expect you to try them on tonight and bring them back with you for tomorrow's practice. There will be a seamstress with me tomorrow to fix any alterations that need to be done. Now let's do this by alphabetical order."

Sakura let out a small sigh before stepping in line with fourteen overexcited girls.

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><p>As they walked towards the school car park later on, Sakura followed at a slower pace, watching with dread as they approached Ino's white Toyota sports car.<p>

"See ya tomorrow, girls!" Okyo exclaimed, waving them off as she continued to walk with Kaori through the car park.

Sakura waved quickly before stopping in front of Ino's car, her chest suddenly tightening with every breath.

"Sakura?" Tenten spoke up, noticing her discomfort. "Are you alright?"

The other girls stopped as well, turning to face her.

"I'm okay," she told them quickly, fidgeting with her bag.

_Wow, that sounded convincing_, she thought to herself wondering how to mention her fear of cars to her new friends without sounding like a freak.

"Don't worry, Ino's a good driver, you know," Hinata added, as if reading her mind.

Sakura answered with a smile, feeling slightly better. "I'm sorry, I'm not comfortable in cars and I need to feel safe before getting a ride from someone."

_Great, now you do sound like a freak!_

To her surprise, however, Ino merely waved at her words. "Don't ever get in a car with Tenten driving then!"

To which Tenten protested with a 'hey!' and swatted Ino's arm.

Twenty minutes later, the girls had reached the 'rich', upper class side of town where most clans lived in vast properties. Sakura had driven through this particular part of town a few times but had not seen what lay beyond the tall gates before. As Ino turned into the Yamanaka compound, Sakura felt her jaw drop as they drove through a large park with several houses bordering the central lane. They eventually crossed a small river beyond which the park turned into a large traditional Japanese garden, with green and red-leafed trees, stone basins and lanterns and a lotus pond surrounded by rocks. Sakura couldn't help but stare at the beautiful garden until they arrived at a large modern-style mansion. Ino quickly parked the car and ordered the others to follow her.

"Ino, your home is gorgeous," Sakura breathed, as she stepped out of the car. "I think I want to live in your garden."

Ino beamed in return. "The Yamanaka were known as the best florists and gardeners within Fire country before my grand-parents branched out to other businesses. It's a matter of pride in my family to have the most beautiful gardens of Konoha. Wait until you see the rest!"

They stepped through the front door, Sakura staring around her in awe as Hinata and Tenten quietly followed, already familiar with their surroundings. Stepping through the house, Ino slid a French door open, entering the back garden, which was no longer the traditional japanese garden, but rather a landscape design with all sorts of flowers and bushes growing along carefully designed grass paths. Sakura's eyes, however, were drawn towards a large natural swimming pool surrounded by green plants, complete with a waterfall and jacuzzi.

She spotted someone inside the clear water lazily leaning against the waterfall rocks.

As Ino noticed the man inside the pool as well, she stomped her foot in annoyance. "Dei, don't you have your _own_ pool in your _own_ house?" she yelled at him, clearly irritated by his presence.

The blond man exhaled a long trail of smoke, smiling cockily in return. "I prefer yours, Ino-chan," he told her with a wink. "And besides, it's always a pleasure to see your friends again."

He suddenly hoisted himself out of the pool and Sakura noticed Hinata turn red as he approached them wearing nothing but a dark green swimsuit. The man was slightly older than them, probably a university student. He was medium-sized, barely taller than Tenten but well-built. His blond hair was as long as Sakura's and his eyes a pale blue. He was definitely a Yamanaka – his resemblance to Ino was striking.

Ino grabbed the nearest towel from the lounge chair and threw it at him. "Put some damn clothes on, idiot!"

"Whatever you say, Ino-chan," he answered with a bright smile, slowly proceeding to wipe his toned chest. His light-natured, teasing tone seemed to annoy Ino even more and Sakura bit back a smile.

"Come on, girls, let's go grab a soda or something," Ino huffed before stomping off towards some sort of pool house in the middle of the garden.

Sakura followed on, wondering where they were headed until Tenten explained to her that the pool house had been renovated last summer into a small private apartment for Ino. Her parents finally grew fed up of their daughter and her friends trashing their house every time she hosted a party.

They eventually all settled down on the garden chairs by the pool house sipping their various sodas.

"Ino, it's pretty awesome that you get your own private space," Sakura exclaimed.

Ino merely shrugged. "It'd be better if the idiot you just met, Deidara, realised it was private too."

"Who is he?" Sakura asked.

"My cousin," Ino explained hastily, swinging the drink in her hand around. "He's supposed to be the next head of the clan, but chose to be an art student instead. Sculpting is apparently much more interesting to him, although he spends most of his time partying and getting high."

"Sounds like a good plan," Tenten chimed in, getting a laugh out of Sakura whilst Ino scowled at them.

"He's acting like a spoiled brat," Ino continued annoyed. "He needs to grow up and stop relying on my dad to bail him out of all the shit he gets into."

"He's not all that bad," Tenten retorted, still grinning. "He gets us in all the good clubs."

Sensing Ino's anger, Sakura quickly added. "Besides, aren't all clan heirs the same? More interested in partying, getting drunk, doing drugs, getting laid…"

Ino merely shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "Sasuke's brother isn't like that." Her lips slowly curved into a smile. "He's a lot more responsible and serious about his future than Dei."

Hinata nodded in agreement and Sakura suddenly noticed both girls had far-away, dreamy looks.

_Sasuke's brother, huh?_

Tenten rolled her eyes at them. "Dear God, must I remind you all that he slept with Karin?"

Hinata immediately froze and Tenten realised her mistake as she remembered Sakura's presence.

"Don't worry, I already knew," Sakura reassured them, leaning back on her chair. "Naruto told me about Sasuke and Karin last weekend."

They visibly relaxed hearing her words.

"I bet that conniving bitch blackmailed him or something," Ino continued as if nothing had happened.

"Ino's had a crush on Sasuke's brother since she was a kid," Hinata whispered to Sakura, leaning closer.

Ino barely noticed them. "I still don't understand why he would ever be friends with my idiotic cousin."

"One of the great mysteries of life," Tenten teased her, toying with the straw in her glass.

"Like Naruto and Sasuke," Sakura pitched in, pondering Ino's words. "Those two are just nothing alike."

The girls all hummed in agreement.

They spent the next half-hour lounging on the garden chairs, talking amongst themselves. Sakura was glad to spend some time with her new friends and learn more about them. She found out that Ino, Hinata and the boys had known each other practically all their lives. Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji's parents were pretty close so Ino knew the boys very well whereas Hinata was closer to Kiba and Shino. The group had really come together at the start of middle school and Sasuke had always been the natural leader. They talked about boyfriends as well and Sakura learned that Ino had dated Sai, a junior on the soccer team, all of last year. Tenten had dated boys outside of Konoha High but had always had a crush on Neji whilst Hinata had never had a boyfriend. Eventually Sakura told them about Kankuro in Suna.

"Ooh, do you have any photos?" Ino immediately asked.

Sakura laughed and pulled out her phone. "Here he is," she told them, handing her phone around. "I'm not sure why I still keep photos of him, I should probably delete everything."

"Are you kidding? He's gorgeous!" Tenten exclaimed as Ino nodded fervently.

"Do you mind me asking what happened?" Hinata asked, handing Sakura's phone back.

"He's the heir of his clan," Sakura replied with a shrug. "So you can already guess what he's like. Besides his dad was opposed to us dating since I wasn't a clan member. Kankuro could never really stand up to him so he eventually broke it off with me."

_And then school turned into hell_, Sakura thought to herself, but preferred not to say anything to her new friends.

"Damn, that sucks," Tenten answered, looking sympathetic. Sakura knew she was suddenly thinking about her own situation with Neji and how things could turn out the exact same way.

"Right, enough talking about guys," Ino exclaimed, getting up to her feet. "How about we all get changed and then help Sakura go through the dance routine?"

Sakura groaned, she'd completely forgotten about Ino and Tenten helping her out.

"Hey, no whining," Ino scolded her, hands on her hips. "We're here to help you so you don't look like a complete ass during next week's game. Trust me, the whole school's opinion of us will depend on that first performance. Now come on!"

"Fine," Sakura answered, rolling her eyes. "But I'll try my outfit on after the tutoring session."

Ino and Tenten both left to try on their uniforms, leaving Sakura and Hinata alone. Sakura found out that Hinata's father was pretty strict but had allowed Hinata to join the cheerleader squad because he apparently knew Yuugao-sensei from business and trusted her.

Sakura found it strange that Hinata's father would trust their coach, who was clearly teaching them inappropriate dance moves for high school students. She suddenly wondered what her own dad would have said about her joining the cheerleading squad, but quickly dismissed the thought.

Hearing a door slide open behind, she turned around to see Ino and Tenten emerge from the pool house.

Hinata's jaw dropped open as Sakura gave a low whistle.

Ino and Tenten came out giggling and striking poses.

Sakura applauded, laughing. "Ladies, next Friday every guy at school will be at your feet."

Hinata still looked stunned. "What on earth was Yuugao-sensei thinking?"

Sakura stared at the cheerleader outfits and smiled. "I think she wants us to win."

"Now Sakura," Ino spoke up, pulling her friend up to her feet. "We are going to rehearse this damn routine until you get it right and then you're getting changed. No buts!"

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><p>Almost an hour later, Sakura was inside Ino's bedroom, staring at herself in the mirror, dumbstruck. The uniform fit perfectly, it almost seemed as if it were designed for her.<p>

It sported Konoha's colours – red, black and white. The top was sleeveless and midriff-baring. It stopped roughly about an inch above Sakura's belly button. It was mostly red with some white on the sides and red, black and white braids along the V-shaped neckline and bottom. Large black letters outlined in white spelled out the word 'KUNOICHI' across the chest. The short pleated skirt was also red, with black inside the pleats and the same tri-coloured braid along the bottom.

The outfit exposed a lot of skin and Sakura cringed as she realised that she would have to wear it in front of the whole school soon and perform in it. She suddenly understood why the uniform came with low-rise red briefs – with all the tumbling and stunting and the fact that the skirt was pleated, she would be showing off her butt. A lot.

_Don't be such a prude! _Her Inner self teased mercilessly. _You should be thanking gymnastics for giving you that toned stomach! You'll be reaping the benefits once guys see you in this._

Sakura growled, looking away from the mirror. Next Friday was going to be a nightmare. She briefly considered changing back to her regular clothes but remembered her promise to show the girls. It was only fair since she had seen Ino and Tenten in theirs earlier and then Hinata had changed into hers while Sakura praticed the routine.

Taking a deep, stabilising breath, Sakura crossed the bedroom, pulled open the door -

And walked smack into Uchiha Sasuke.

******..~**~..******

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><p><strong>Sorry about the cliff hanger, couldn't help myself! So yes, Sakura's cat is called Itachi... the others will find out later. Deidara is Ino's cousin cause I thought that was a fitting way to slide him into the story and he'll be around next chapter. And if you're wondering about the uniforms, just imagine the Hellcat uniforms slightly less revealing and in red, black and white.<strong>

**Reviews are more than welcome! :)  
><strong>


	8. Fitting in

**Oh my God you guys, I'm so so sorry for making you wait so long for this update! The last few weeks have been pretty lousy. I broke up with my long-term boyfriend and although we both knew it was coming, it was still pretty depressing and so it was hard to write about love or to write anything at all for that matter when I was feeling so down.**

**Anyway, I'm better now and I'm relieved to have finished this chapter. The first half was horrible to write, I rewrote the whole thing at least five or six times.**

**I'd like to thank each and every one of you out there who read this fic and reviewed. Special shout out to BlueSakuraLauren who has reviewed every chapter so far! I look forward to them everytime, you totally rock!**

**This fic is dedicated to thecoolauthorwithstory my 50th reviewer!**

**This chapter as well as more chapters further on in the fic will deal with drugs. If that bothers you then don't read this fic! My characters are young and stupid and smoke weed but they will learn. Because no matter what drugs are bad****!**

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><p><strong><strong><strong><strong>Chapter 8<br>********

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><p>Sakura stumbled forward and Sasuke caught her deftly around the shoulders. She stood before him, eyes wide with shock before she reeled backwards, steadying herself.<p>

Sasuke's eyes roamed over her small figure before he could even think to stop them. They took in the sight of the pink-haired girl wearing what he assumed was the new cheerleader outfit. It showed off perfectly her every curve and asset, leaving little to his imagination. The short top and skirt showed off her toned stomach and legs rather nicely he thought, while the black and red colours emphasised her creamy, white skin and, surprisingly enough, didn't clash with her ridiculous pink hair.

As she had stumbled forward, her long hair had fallen into her face and around her shoulders adding to the attractive picture that she was already painting.

Sasuke knew he shouldn't be checking her out. Hell, she was Naruto's friend and judging by the looks his blond friend gave her; she was clearly off limits. However, for some reason he couldn't stop himself. Something compelled him to find out more about her. She intrigued him. She was different from the other girls at school, for starters, she wasn't a fangirl and every time they met she was always angry at him for one reason or another. It was new and refreshing… she was refreshing.

And she wasn't exactly rough on the eyes either.

_Now if only I could get her to blush_, Sasuke thought slyly and, almost on cue, Sakura did as she finally noticed his intense gaze on her.

"What – what are you doing here?" she asked him, sliding her arms around her stomach in a futile attempt to hide herself.

"Bathroom," he told her simply.

"No, I mean why are you _here_? At Ino's?" she clarified a hint of anger in her voice.

"She invited us," Sasuke answered with a shrug, taking a step closer to her as she stood in the doorway. From the way she immediately tensed up, he knew he was making her uncomfortable. "Is that the new uniform?"

Her green eyes avoided his own. "Yes, but I was just about to change back -"

"They're waiting for you outside," he cut her off, turning to look down the corridor.

Sasuke could almost hear the panic in her voice. "W-What?"

"Didn't you say you'd come out to show them?" he pointed out, tilting his head to one side, watching her closely.

She was biting her lower lip nervously, obviously struggling with herself whether to go outside or not.

Sasuke smirked. "The whole school is going to see you wearing that next week and yet you're too scared to show your friends?"

Almost immediately her eyes flashed angrily at him. His smirk grew wider. Riling her up was too easy.

"I never said I was scared," she bit back.

Sasuke moved to one side, creating enough space for her to pass by. "Then what are you waiting for?"

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura glared at him in return, before raising her head defiantly and stomping off down the corridor towards the outdoor patio.

Sasuke looked on amused. His dark eyes didn't fail to notice the gentle sway of her hips, nor the way her short skirt brushed the top of her thighs, teasing him with glimpses of her red briefs.

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sakura was beyond furious. This was not at all what she had planned. She had no idea what was waiting for her outside. Correction – she had no idea <em>who<em> was waiting outside! Sasuke hadn't exactly given her any names, but showing herself in her cheerleader uniform to the guys was definitely not part of the plan.

Why the hell hadn't Ino mentioned anything before about inviting guys! Surely she hadn't invited all of them over. However, as Sakura slid open the window door, she felt her stomach drop as she spotted the small crowd gathered before her.

She immediately noticed Naruto, goofing around with Kiba. Shikamaru, seated by Ino's feet on a lounge chair, was talking to Deidara seated beside them whilst the girls were helping themselves to some food that had been setup on a long table.

When they finally caught sight of Sakura, they all fell silent except for Kiba, who whistled.

_Don't blush, don't blush, don't blush! _

"Hey guys," Sakura greeted them with a nervous smile as she tried to get a hold on her nerves. "I didn't realise you were coming over here."

She looked pointedly at Ino as she spoke hoping to convey the hidden message that she was going to kill the blond girl later.

Ino had the decency to at least look guilty.

"Is that the new uniform Ino was talking about?" Naruto blurted out, his jaw hanging open in shock.

"Man, I wish I was still in high school," Deidara muttered to one side.

Sakura ignored him. "Naruto, what do you think?" she asked him, stepping closer.

"You can't wear that!" he spluttered, his eyes going wide.

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Oh come on, you've seen me wearing less than this!"

It seemed the others preferred to remain silent as they watched her on-coming argument with Naruto.

"Yeah but the rest of the school hasn't!" Naruto countered quickly. "And when they see you wearing that, all the guys are going to get the wrong idea!"

Sakura's temper flared immediately. _I can't believe he just said that! He's never cared before about the way I dress!_

Sensing Sakura's anger, Ino quickly jumped out of her lounge chair.

"Naruto, seriously! Do you even think before you speak?" she scolded him before turning towards her pink-haired friend. "Sakura, forget the idiot, you look hot! Now go change so they can all stop oogling at you."

Sakura glared at Naruto one last time before turning on her heel and storming back towards the pool house. She noticed Sasuke standing beside the door watching with amusement.

_God, he looks so hot in shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt, _Inner Sakura approved loudly in the back of her mind. Sakura, however, tried not to think about how he had previously checked her out in the hallway and shamelessly made her blush.

A few minutes later, she returned to her friends wearing her normal clothes and joined them on the lounge chairs, eating away the buffet. Sakura chose to sit down beside Tenten and quickly reached for her phone to inform her mom she wouldn't be home for dinner.

Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. He apparently had been called away to deal with clan stuff, which was also the reason why Neji hadn't turned up.

The small group continued to eat and chat amongst themselves. Eventually Naruto sheepishly approached Sakura to apologise for his earlier behaviour and she smacked the back of his head in return, telling him he was an idiot, but still forgave him.

After a while, Ino decided to go for a swim in the pool and went to change along with Tenten. Sakura stayed on the patio with Hinata but kept glancing at the boys surrounding Deidara, who seemed to be rolling something… and Sakura had a feeling it wasn't cigarettes.

As soon as they lit up, the smell of weed hit her nose.

It suddenly brought back a lot of memories to the front of her mind. Specifically the times she had spent with Kankuro and his friends in Suna. How things had gone from smoking pot behind the school building after school hours to parties where small plastic bags filled with white powder or pills were handed out. As soon as Sakura began to date Kankuro, she gradually became acquainted with the party scene in Suna, which was filled with drugs, despite herself. Eventually came to hate it because of what it did to her friends. It was all fun and games… until it wasn't. However, Sakura pushed all thoughts of Suna away and focused on her new friends instead. Hinata was watching the guys with a disapproving look as Sakura merely hoped that none of her friends used more than weed.

She suddenly spotted Naruto sitting down next to Shikamaru and frowned remembering the extreme effects weed had on him.

"So you guys ready to win the championship or what?" Deidara asked them, joint between his lips.

"You bet!" Naruto told him, grinning widely. "We're going to kick Tanzaku's ass next Friday, right Shika?"

Shikamaru merely grunted, his gaze turned towards the pool where Ino was slowly slipping into the water followed by Tenten.

Deidara watched Shikamaru out of the corner of his eye and smirked, before turning towards Naruto.

"Hey, you want?" he asked the blond, offering him a hit.

"Nah, forget Naruto," Kiba spoke up, beside him. "He doesn't smoke."

"You serious?" Deidara said jokingly, lifting the joint towards Naruto again. "Come on, it's just a drag."

Shikamaru's brows furrowed. "Dei…" he warned.

Naruto looked back at the older blond hesitantly. "I… um…"

Sakura didn't want to intervene. Really, she didn't. Naruto could do whatever he liked. They had never stopped each other before from getting drunk or stoned. However, she knew the effects weed had on him. She also knew that Naruto didn't really want to smoke, but he stupidly never backed out from a challenge.

That's why when Naruto's hand reached out towards Deidara, Sakura was up on her feet in a flash. She approached the boys from behind and before any of them even noticed her, she nimbly plucked the joint from Deidara's fingers.

They all turned around to face her in surprise, although Naruto's eyes didn't quite meet hers.

"Now, now, Naruto," Sakura lectured him in a sing-song voice. "Don't you remember the last time you got high?"

Naruto gave a small laugh in return, clearly looking embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I'm still really sorry about that, Sakura-chan. Oh look! Poor Hinata's all by herself…"

And before Sakura could respond, he had jumped from his seat and moved towards Hinata, who was sitting by the pool, her legs dangling in the cool water. Sakura shook her head with a sigh and then plumply sat down between Deidara and Shikamaru.

"Fuck, what are you, his mom?" Deidara remarked snidely causing Kiba to chuckle until Sakura gave them both dark looks.

She wasn't sure how to answer though. No, she was most definitely not Naruto's mother, but she wasn't about to let some prissy clan heir pressure him into smoking weed. Especially since she knew the effect drugs had on Naruto. Flicking the ash off the end of the joint, she brought it to her lips and sucked in slowly.

"I'm just looking out for him," she replied honestly, releasing a trail of smoke. "Naruto and drugs don't mix well. Last time he was high, he tried to punch one of my friends."

"No shit," Kiba exclaimed, his eyes gazing towards Naruto again.

"Yeah," Sakura confirmed, inhaling again. "Best stay away from Naruto with red eyes."

The guys then picked up their conversation about the upcoming basketball game and Sakura zoned out, happily taking a couple more drags before passing the joint to Shikamaru. Deidara had already started rolling another one.

"So Pink," Deidara spoke up, finally turning to face her. Sakura, who had been lying with her arms behind her head, watching her friends chase each other around in the pool, slowly tilted her head towards him. She immediately noticed his eyes raking over her figure. "You new around here? I don't recall seeing you with Ino before and I never forget a pretty face."

From Sakura's other side, Shikamaru chuckled. "Don't even bother, Dei," he told him, his gaze still firmly set on the pool… more specifically on Ino. "She's Tsunade-sama's niece."

"What?" the blond cried out, bolting upright. "And you just let me light up in front of her? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. Did he really think she'd rat him out to her aunt? "It's okay, I won't tell or anything. Relax, it's fine. However, call me Pink again and I might just change my mind. My name is Sakura."

"Whatever," Deidara mumbled, before lying back down on his lounge chair. "Shit, I can't believe no one told me you're Tsunade-sama's niece. No wonder you're good friends with Uzumaki."

He finally lit up just as Shikamaru left with Kiba to join Naruto by the side of the pool. Ino, who was lazily holding onto the side of the pool, looked up as the boys approached and smiled brightly. Sakura, left alone with the Yamanaka heir, watched on.

"They've been eyeing each other for years and yet it'll take a miracle before either one finally takes the first step," Deidara commented quietly, looking amused at his younger cousin flirting shamelessly with the boys.

Sakura quickly realised that he meant Ino and Shikamaru.

She turned to smile at him. "Oh I think the new cheerleader outfit should take care of that."

Deidara laughed in return, coughing on the smoke that exhaled from his mouth. The two of them then sat in silence for a while until he passed the joint to her.

"So any specific reason why you're hanging out here with a bunch of high school students?" Sakura asked impulsively.

Deidara regarded her calmly for a moment before answering. "Well I've known this bunch since forever," he explained. "Being part of clans, we pretty much all grew up together. I mean most of our parents are friends so we saw a lot of each other when we were kids and also during weddings, birthdays, council meetings and other damn gatherings. I guess once Ino and her friends started high school, they somehow always ended up at our parties and that was it."

Sakura nodded slowly, her mind beginning to feel slightly hazy as she inhaled again.

"Oh and I guess it's partly because Itachi's my best friend," Deidara added as an afterthought.

Sakura turned to look at him confused. Of course, if she hadn't been stoned already, she would probably have realised that the blond was talking about a person. However, since her mind failed to make the connection, she thought he meant her cat.

_How the hell does Deidara even know about my cat?_

Since it was too much effort to think about it, Sakura decided to play along.

"Itachi? Really?" she asked in disbelief, slowly inhaling the smoke, which burned her lungs.

"Yeah, I know, it's hard to believe. People don't understand why we're friends since we're so different."

"No kidding," Sakura giggled loudly, suddenly noticing Naruto turning to look at her from afar. "So how do you communicate with him?"

"With difficulty. I mean he's not much of a talker, is he?" Deidara pointed out. "I guess it runs in the family. Whereas I'm always running my mouth off, which annoys him most of the time, but I can't help it. I guess one day he'll tell me to fuck off for real."

"Oh I doubt that'll happen as long as you keep feeding him," Sakura stated, erupting into another fit of giggles as she passed the joint back.

"Yeah, I guess – no, wait, what?" Deidara exclaimed, finally realising what Sakura had said. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura turned to face him, her green eyes slightly red and glazed over. "What are you talking about?"

"I -" but he stopped and relaxed back on the chair once more. "Never mind. Damn this shit is strong."

"Yeah… I think I'm too stoned to talk," Sakura agreed with a chuckle.

Deidara winked at her. "Sorry, shoulda warned you."

Naruto suddenly appeared, shirtless and with his jeans rolled up to his knees, by Sakura's side. She didn't notice the cold stare he gave Deidara as she gawked at the view.

"Sakura, I'm gonna head off," he informed her, slipping his T-shirt back on. "I can give you a ride home if you want."

She nodded slowly, barely able to put thoughts into words as her green eyes continued to stare at him as he left to collect his things.

"So you're Uzumaki's girl then, huh?" Deidara asked behind her, catching her by surprise.

_Busted! That's what you get for perving on Naruto, your __**best friend**__, in such a blatant way! _Her Inner self roared inside her head. Sakura turned to face Deidara, catching the large smirk on his face.

"No, we're not – we're just really good friends," she corrected him and thanked God when he said nothing more on the matter. Sakura's gaze turned back to the pool and she relaxed in her chair as she waited for Naruto to come back.

Ten minutes later, having said her goodbyes, Sakura walked towards the orange car. Feeling a headache coming on, she drank lots of water before leaving and kept a water bottle in her hands.

Naruto, beside her, was unusually quiet.

The ride home was tense and silent apart from Sakura occasionally playing with her water bottle. As soon as Naruto parked outside her residence, she turned to face him, determined to find out why her usually cheerful best friend was looking so grim.

"Naruto," she spoke up, watching him closely. "What's wrong? Are you mad?"

"It's nothing," he lied, watching the road straight ahead.

Sakura had never seen him act like this before and was unsure of what to say next. "I'm sorry about earlier if that's what's wrong."

He turned to face her, looking confused.

"When Deidara offered you a hit and I stepped in. I was just looking out for you."

"Looking out for me?" he echoed in disbelief.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I mean you don't need to prove anything to him or any other clan member. It's okay, I understand. We didn't grow up in the same world as them and so you feel like you have to try and fit in, I get it. Believe me, it was the same thing for me in Suna. But you know where that got me."

Naruto gave a loud sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know. It's never like that with the guys, but whenever Deidara's around things are different. I feel like I'm constantly reminded that I'm not one of _them_."

He dropped his eyes again and swallowed. The dejected look on his face caused Sakura to put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"Naruto, you don't owe them squat," she told him earnestly, trying to catch his eye. "You have nothing to prove to them. You're the most awesome guy I know and if they don't see that, then fuck them."

Naruto nudged her hand away. "And yet you're the one who just spent the entire evening getting stoned with him, rather than be with me."

Sakura froze. She felt her heart jolt as she realised what he had just admitted. He had wanted her to spend the evening with him. He didn't like the idea of her being with Deidara.

_Oh my God, he's jealous!_

And Sakura suddenly realised that she didn't mind it at all.

Her pulse quickened and she fought to keep her voice steady. "It wasn't like that, Naruto. We were just smoking. I barely talked to the guy."

"Oh don't be so naïve, Sak. Dei's probably been with half the girls in Konoha and he was looking at you like you were his next fuck."

"So what? Are you jealous or something?" Sakura asked before she could stop herself.

"No, of course not, it's nothing like that," Naruto snapped with brutal honesty and Sakura abruptly felt like she'd been slapped in the face.

"Oh…" She tried in vain to hide the disappointment on her face and could barely watch as his blue eyes scanned hers before going wide as realisation hit him.

"I… er…" she trailed off, desperately trying to swallow the large lump in her throat and failing.

Sakura felt like an idiot for completely misreading the situation and felt like an even bigger fool for being so obvious about it.

Naruto looked completely baffled. "Sakura…"

Sakura wanted to kick herself. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she grabbed her bag at the feet before climbing out of the car.

"Sakura, wait -"

She didn't stop or turn to face him. "Just forget it, Naruto. Thanks for the ride."

And before he could add anything else, she rushed towards her front door, hastily wiping away her unshed tears with the back of her hand.

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sakura was purposely late for school the next day as she wanted to avoid Naruto as much as possible and arrive just in time for the bell. She felt like a complete fool for being so obvious about her feelings the previous night when she hadn't even been able to define them yet.<p>

She blamed the weed for impairing her judgement.

_Yeah right! Blame the drugs instead of admitting that you wrongly jumped to conclusions, you loser_, her Inner self sneered.

As she arrived through the school car park, she tried to ignore the feeling in her chest as she spotted Naruto's orange car and headed straight for the school entrance. The girls were nowhere to be seen as the first bell had already rung and Sakura hurried inside hoping to snatch her books from her locker and make it to her homeroom class before the bell rung again.

As she headed down the junior hall, students were still hanging around, talking amongst themselves as they headed to class. Sakura's eyes darted through the crowd, fearing Naruto was around but she didn't see him or any of her new friends. Reaching her locker, she pulled out her notepad along with a few books, balancing them in one arm.

Before she was finished, someone suddenly pushed her hard from behind, brutally slamming her into the lockers and causing all her belongings to fall to the ground.

Sakura bit back a cry, cradling her hand to her chest as she turned to see who had attacked her.

She immediately recognised the dark-haired girl with a nasty look on her face.

Ami.

"You should watch where you're going, _cheerleader_," she hissed at Sakura, whilst her friends on either side of her laughed. "Sasuke-kun won't always be there to save you."

They left at once and Sakura remained speechless as she watched them disappear in the crowd.

_What the fuck! What the hell is their problem? Are they really that pissed they didn't get on the squad?_

Before she could find an answer, the bell rang again and Sakura quickly bent down scrambling to get all her papers and books back. Of course, none of the other students still out in the hallway, who had witnessed the scene, came to help her. They either didn't seem to care or were probably afraid Ami would target them next.

_Or maybe it's because I'm the new girl and they don't actually know me, _Sakura thought sadly to herself, finally reaching out for her notebook and finding a pair of expensive-looking shoes next to it.

Slowly lifting her head up, Sakura was surprised to see Neji standing before her.

Without a word, he bent down, picked up the notebook and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she told him quietly, balancing everything in her arms again as she stood up slowly.

She noticed his pale eyes fixed on her grazed hand and realised she was bleeding slightly.

"What happened?" he asked her, although she was sure he already knew the answer.

"Nothing," she lied, hoping he'd drop the subject.

He watched her closely for a few seconds before walking past her. "Come on, we're late for homeroom."

Sakura followed him down the hallway and as they reached their classroom, she whispered softly. "Please don't say anything to Naruto."

He turned his head, looking over his shoulder at her and nodded.

As usual Kakashi hadn't arrived yet and Sakura immediately spotted the free seat beside Ino. She waved at the boys sitting behind as they greeted her, but tried her best not to look Naruto's way. Sitting down in her seat, she listened half-heartedly at the girls' latest gossip and glanced instead at her hand, which was throbbing painfully. The back was bright red as the skin was grazed raw and two of her knuckles, that had probably hit the locker hinges, were bleeding. Sakura tried to discreetly lick away what little blood had leaked down to her wrist, but winced at the pain.

"Sakura, what happened to your hand?" Ino asked rather loudly, catching Tenten and Hinata's attention.

"It's nothing, I just fell," Sakura answered automatically just as Kakashi arrived in the classroom. She didn't want her friends to worry and cause a fuss especially when Naruto could hear them. "I'll swing by the infirmary before Chemistry."

Ino nodded although she didn't look convinced. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked softly.

Sakura smiled and assured her once more that she was fine, although her hand still hurt like a bitch.

_Stop being such a wuss_, Inner Sakura lectured her, _this is nothing compared to some of the stuff that happened in Suna. Go to the infirmary, take care of your hand and then go kick that girl's ass!_

However, Sakura decided to ignore her and quickly took out her biology homework that she had yet to finish.

She didn't notice Sasuke sitting in the back of the room, watching her closely.

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sasuke didn't fail to notice the state of Sakura's hand as soon as she appeared. She had a worried look on her face and when he spotted her red, swollen hand, he knew something was up. It was then further confirmed by Neji, who gave him a particular look as he passed by that meant trouble.<p>

Something else that bothered him that morning was Naruto's attitude. His usual boisterous, annoying best friend seemed rather out of it and as they walked to homeroom, his eyes kept wandering around the hall obviously looking for someone.

It wasn't until Sakura entered the classroom that Sasuke realised that Naruto had in fact been looking for her. However, the pink-haired girl barely greeted him as she walked in, which was unusual since she nearly always stuck by Naruto's side in school.

However, it seemed that something had happened between the two of them and Sasuke was curious to find out what. Although it was probably because of something Naruto had done or said. He could be such an idiot at times…

As soon as the bell rang, Naruto leapt from his seat but Sakura was quicker and out of the door before he could stop her.

"Sakura, wait!" he called out to her, but she ignored him and left.

The blond returned to his seat in a hurry, grabbing his belongings before dashing out after her. Sasuke merely looked on with a frown. Just what the hell was going on?

"What's up with Naruto?" Kiba asked as soon as they were out in the hallway.

"Looks like he had a fight with Sakura or something," Shikamaru spoke up, trailing beside Sasuke.

"Did anyone notice her hand this morning?" Kiba continued. "It looked pretty banged up."

"I heard she told Ino that she fell," Shikamaru answered, stopping off at his locker.

"What the hell dude? I thought you were sleeping! You could've helped me with Maths!" Kiba exclaimed just as Neji appeared beside Sasuke.

"It was Ami's fault," he stated bluntly causing Sasuke and Kiba to stop.

"What? Are you serious?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke felt his fist clench. "What did she do?"

"She pushed Sakura into the lockers just before the second bell rang."

"That little bitch!" Kiba growled, but Sasuke ignored him.

"Neji, make sure Sakura finds her way to the infirmary," Sasuke said to him, spotting the pink-haired girl ahead of them and going the wrong way.

Neji nodded walking faster to catch up with Sakura. Kiba turned to face Sasuke. "And what about Ami?" he asked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I'll deal with her."

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sasuke had to wait until lunchtime before he could confront Ami in private. He hadn't seen much of Sakura all morning since they didn't have any classes together, but by lunchtime he noticed her sitting with the girls along with other cheerleaders. Her hand was bandaged and overall she seemed a lot happier than in homeroom.<p>

Naruto, on the other hand, looked gloomier than ever but he refused to tell the guys anything.

Just as Sasuke left the lunch hall, he spotted Ami sitting with her friends outside. She seemed to be leaving and he managed to corner her before she reached the junior hall.

As soon as she saw him, she squealed and tried to latch onto his arm, but the cold look he gave her stopped her short.

"Sasuke-kun," she exclaimed, looking slightly nervous. "Did you come to meet me in secret?"

"I don't know what your problem is with Sakura Haruno and I don't care. Just leave her alone," he told her firmly, his eyes glaring down at her.

Ami looked back at him, confused. "Sakura? You mean that pink-haired bitch! Why do you keep defending her? I heard she slept around with tons of guys back in Suna. She's a slut, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke took a step forward and grabbed Ami by the wrist. "Don't lie. And don't make me repeat myself," he continued in a low voice. "If you don't leave Sakura alone -"

"You'll what?" Ami sneered, raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke's expression turned to stone. He had to admit the girl had guts to talk back to him like that.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" he told her, threats drenching his words.

Ami finally lowered her eyes, shaking her head.

Satisfied, Sasuke let her go and quickly turned to leave, thinking the matter was closed. He never saw Ami's fixed stare on his back or the glint of anger in her eyes.

******..~**~..******

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><p><strong>Why oh why is Sasuke so hard to write? I feel like I should just make him say 'hn' all the time because he feels OOC as soon as I make him say long sentences.<strong>

**I hope I didn't turn you guys off with the NaruSaku part and that you appreciated the SasuSaku moments! Whatever's happening between Naruto and Sakura should be done and dealt with in the next chapter and then lots more SasuSaku moments, I promise!**

**Please review!**


	9. Open Practice

**Gods, I have no excuse for not finishing this chapter sooner! Although I am currently jobhunting... whilst still working... and making a fool of myself at job interviews... oh joy!  
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**There are not enough words to say thank you to all my lovely reviewers who inspire me so much by giving me awesome feedback. Special shoutout to yattsy who left many detailed reviews and gave me awesome tips! You rock :)  
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**As is tradition this chapter is dedicated to Black snake eyes my 80th reviewer!  
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**Enjoy!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 9<br>**

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><p>"Alright girls, gather around," Yuugao-sensei shouted as soon as everyone was in the dojo. "I have a few announcements to make. First of all, as you already know there's no practice tomorrow, which doesn't mean you get to slack off, but instead that you have three days until Monday to practice the dance routine to the chosen music."<p>

Sakura noticed all the girls suddenly listening closely to their coach.

"That's right, I've chosen the music for the first performance next Friday," their sensei confirmed, waving about a small CD case. "It's a Black Eyed Peas song, you guys will love it."

"Wow, how am I not surprised?" Tenten teased glancing sideways at Sakura, who hid her smile. Yuugao-sensei's love for the hip pop group had become somewhat obvious over the week.

"So, today we will continue to practice the first part of the routine with the song and add some tumbling and stunts to it as well," their coach continued, clapping her hands in excitement. "Oh and we'll hold the election for squad captain on Monday so those of you who are interested, please be ready to address your teammates after practice."

At once, Ino's hand shot up.

"Sorry, Ino," the coach spoke up again, noticing her hand. "I've decided only seniors are eligible for team captain."

"WHAT?" Ino and Karin shouts were immediately heard.

Yuugao-sensei seemed unphased by their reaction. "The captain has to be someone who will lead the group, someone mature and level-headed, who has enough motivation and determination to lead our squad to win the cheer competition. I think a senior is better suited. You guys can try your luck next year. Now let's go warm up!"

Sakura gave Ino a sympathetic look before taking off around the dojo along the other girls in a jog. After a few minutes, Tenten caught up beside her.

"Hey, how's your hand?" she inquired.

"It's fine," Sakura reassured her, lifting up the bandaged hand. "The school nurse said to take off the bandage tonight and reapply more cream after I shower. It should be fine by tomorrow."

"Good to know," Tenten said between deep breaths. "Although I hope you'll eventually get that bitch back for what she did."

Sakura turned her head towards her brunette friend. "You know?"

"I head Fuki mentioning it in Maths earlier," Tenten admitted. "Don't worry I didn't tell anyone else, I figured you didn't want them to know."

Sakura nodded, unsure how to answer. She was glad Tenten had kept her secret as it was probably better if her new friends didn't get involved.

"However since I know now," the brunette continued with an evil glint in her eye. "I'd be more than happy to help you put Ami and her friends back in their places. Just say the word and I'll have your back."

Sakura felt stunned as she heard Tenten's words. Her girl friends back in Suna had never stood up for her before or even helped her at all when she was in trouble. They'd all preferred to lose her as a friend and ignore her pain rather than be seen helping her and commit social suicide.

And now in Konoha, her new friends, which she'd barely known for a week, were already offering their help.

_Yes, but people haven't been spreading nasty rumours about your break-up here_, her Inner self reminded her sadly.

Sakura ignored her and gave Tenten a bright smile instead. "Thanks."

They continued huffing and puffing as they jogged around the dojo and eventually joined Ino and Hinata for the rest of the warm-up.

It turned out their crazy-for-Black Eyed Peas coach had chosen _Pump It_ for the first routine.

As they practiced the dance routine over and over, Yuugao-sensei pulled out a few girls at a time to do various stunts such as tumbling diagonally in front of the main dancing group. Sakura was put with Ino at the start to do a round off, a series of backflips and then finish with a full twist. Across the dojo Kaori and Okyo did the same tumble, crossing paths with Sakura and Ino merely seconds later before all four girls joined the main group again.

_Come on baby just _

_Pump it (louder) _

_Pump it (louder) _

_Pump it (louder) - _

For the first chorus, Yuugao-sensei decided to alternate the girls between doing various jumps and back flips. Sakura had trouble keeping up as she was given toe touches whilst Ino and Hinata beside her alternated between back flips and walk overs.

"I think our coach is trying to kill us," Sakura finally let out after repeating the routine for the sixth time.

"If you have enough energy to talk, then you have enough energy to do this one more time," Yuugao-sensei shouted in return causing all the girls to turn and glare at Sakura as they prepared the first chorus once more.

During the last half hour, Sakura practiced stunts with her foursome, perfecting her full ups and liberties.

By the time they were done, Sakura was aching all over and silently cursing the gorgeous purple-haired woman that made them work so damn hard.

"I know you're all tired," Yuugao-sensei announced reading their inner thoughts, "but since there's no practice tomorrow, I need to push you guys today so you can be ready for next Friday. You know the first half of the routine now and the second half, which we will learn on Monday is pretty much to same except we'll add in harder stunts. I want to see high kicks, heel stretches, arabesques and scorpions so be sure to practice those this weekend. Also remember to practice the routine to counts and to the music so you keep in sync with the rest of the group. And now the moment you've all been waiting for."

Sakura felt excitement bubble among her teammates. She didn't really care either way who became captain. She didn't know her senior teammates much except for Okyo, Kaori and of course Kagura, who was part of her foursome. It was hard to choose who would be the most responsible to fill the position when she barely knew the other girls. If Sakura were to choose, she'd vote for Ino. Her blonde friend seemed completely dedicated to cheerleading and the squad.

"So who feels they have what it takes to become this year's captain?" Yuugao finally asked and ordered the three candidates, who had stepped forward, to face the rest of their team. "Great so, Nanako, Chiaki and Okyo, you have about ten minutes to convince your fellow teammates why they should vote for you."

The girls all sat down waiting for the first senior, Nanako, to give a little speech. Sakura plopped down between Ino and Hinata, stretching her legs out in front of her and barely listening as a tanned girl with straight chocolate-coloured hair that grazed her shoulders stepped forward and began to address them. Sakura had only seen the girl once or twice at school other than at cheer practice. She seemed friendly but seemed to lack confidence as she spoke. Her speech turned out to be rather short in the end and after a brief clap, the next senior, stepped up.

Sakura recognised Chiaki as one of the girls who based for Ino. Again since she was a senior, Sakura had had very little interaction with her, but she'd seen her hang among the popular crowd of seniors at school and hang around the guys' table at lunchtime. Chiaki was incredibly beautiful with long wavy black hair and bright sparkling blue eyes. Unlike Nanako, she seemed to know exactly what she was doing and approached her teammates fully confident. Sakura immediately noticed the same arrogant air about her as she had seen from Sasuke or Neji and guessed she was probably from a prestigious clan. Her voice was sultry and her smiles enchanting but her ideas for the squad didn't suit Sakura at all. She seemed rather keen on the basketball and soccer teams, suggesting pairing up players from each team with a cheerleader so the girls could see to the guys every need.

Sakura didn't fail to notice the sly wink Chiaki sent their way while Yuugao-sensei wasn't looking.

_Urgh, she just wants an excuse to hook up with guys! _

Sakura quickly noticed the scowl on Tenten and Ino's faces as Chiaki spoke and was relieved to see her friends react in the same way.

Finally it was Okyo's turn and the last senior had more sensible ideas for the squad suggesting fund-raising events for charities amongst other things.

"I also realise that we don't actually know each other that well," Okyo admitted, turning to the juniors of the group, "and since the vote is only on Monday, I thought maybe we could all get together tomorrow night and have a girl's night. Just the cheer squad."

Her suggestion was met with many nods and murmured agreements.

"That's actually a great idea," Tenten approved as they all moved out towards the locker rooms as the speech was over. "Apart from Okyo, Kaori and Kagura, we've never really hung out with any other seniors before."

"As long as we don't have to hang out with Chiaki," Ino argued angrily. She was in a particular bad mood ever since Yuugao-sensei had declared only a senior could be captain. "God, if she ever makes captain, she's going to turn us all into sluts."

Hinata's eyes went wide at Ino's words as Sakura shook her head in amusement.

As they entered the locker rooms, they noticed the rest of the squad in a tight group talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"Ino," Okyo called out to her, approaching them. "We were just deciding what to do for tomorrow night. We were thinking about going to a club."

"Sounds awesome," Ino told her, finally smiling again. "I'll ask my cousin Dei if he can take care of it."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Okyo admitted before turning to the others with a cheerful smile. "What about you guys? You in?"

Unfortunately, Sakura could already picture the look on her mom's face and what she would say. Unless Naruto or another boy her mom trusted was with her, then there was no way in hell she'd agree.

If Sakura decided to go clubbing, she'd have to lie… and she really hated lying to her mom.

Hinata look worried too. "I can't go with you," she spoke up in a small voice. "My father would never allow it, even if Neji onii-san was there."

"Don't worry, Hinata," Ino told her with a wicked glint to her eye. "There is no way we're going clubbing without you. We'll pretend to have a girl's night at my place – or better yet, we'll all meet up at my place beforehand to get ready and you guys can sleep over at my place after the club. How does that sound?"

Hinata shook her head. "The guys will find out. Someone is bound to tell them once we're at the club."

"Screw the guys!" Tenten said rather loudly, obviously frustrated. "We already went clubbing together this summer and they never found out! We'll just keep it quiet and pretend we're simply spending the night at Ino's again. Everything will work out fine, right, Okyo?"

Okyo looked rather stunned at Tenten's outburst but agreed nonetheless. "Sure, it's best to keep quiet anyway since I want the night to be just between us cheerleaders. It'll be fun and don't worry Hinata, I'll make sure someone's with you at all times and that several of us, including myself, stay sober so that things don't get out of control."

Sakura listened on confused as to why Hinata going out was such a big deal. They continued discussing the minor details of their common lie for a few more minutes until Okyo left and the girls headed for their lockers to change.

Making sure Ino and Hinata were out of earshot, Sakura turned to face Tenten.

"I get that Hinata's a Hyuuga and that her dad is really strict and all, but why all the fuss?" she asked out of curiosity. "Surely telling everyone that we're staying at Ino's is enough, right?"

Tenten stared back at her in surprise. "Oh my God, you don't know."

Sakura was even more confused. "What? What don't I know?"

"I can't believe no one mentioned this before," Tenten muttered to herself before continuing. "Sakura, Hinata isn't just a Hyuuga, she's the heiress."

Sakura took in her friend's words and snorted. "Hinata, the Hyuuga heiress? Puh-lease, there's no way the Hyuuga heiress would come to this school. There'd be a ton of bodyguards and she'd have a driver to school or something."

"She does have a driver," Tenten deadpanned, before smiling at Sakura's shocked face. "And Neji acts as her bodyguard while in school."

"WHAT?"

"Sakura, this school isn't the most expensive in the country for nothing," Tenten quickly explained reaching her locker. "Clan heirs come here not only for the school's excellent academics and sports but because the school also provides security. I mean, you've seen the security at the front gates. Didn't that seem strange to you?"

Sakura looked even more confused. _Why the hell hasn't Naruto told me this before?_

"There was even a rumour going around last year that Kakashi-sensei was actually in the Uchiha's employment to protect Sasuke," Tenten continued changing T-shirts.

Sakura felt her head swirling. "Bloody hell, so Hinata's father is that business CEO they talk about on the news, Hyuuga Hiashi?"

Tenten nodded. "Didn't Naruto tell you?"

_No, and I am going to kill him_, Sakura thought angrily, remembering all the times she'd opened her potty mouth in front of the Hyuuga heiress.

And then it hit her.

"Oh my God and you guys want to take Hinata clubbing without her father or Neji knowing?" Sakura squeaked realising her voice had suddenly come out incredibly high-pitched, making her sound like a mouse. "Are you _insane_?"

Tenten laughed at her reaction. "Relax, we did it over the summer already and we had an awesome night. Besides, if anything goes wrong we'll just blame it all on Ino. Her parents are friends with the Hyuugas."

Sakura stared back at Tenten, speechless. How the hell could she relax when their plan clearly spelled out disaster?

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><p>The following day, Sakura was glad the week was finally coming to an end. The last cheer practice had worn her out and no amount of coffee had helped her concentrate in her morning classes. Her hand had healed fine and she'd made sure to stay well away from Ami and her friends until she figured out what to do about them.<p>

She also successfully managed to avoid Naruto, who seemed to take the hint and stopped trying to talk to her. She felt incredibly guilty about her childish attitude every time she saw him, but since she hadn't figured out how she felt or what to say to him yet, she preferred to keep away. She had, however, decided to speak with him over the weekend in private instead of in school, which was full of nosy teenagers.

Her morning classes had been rather dull except for Maths with Kiba, who wouldn't shut up about the open basketball practice Gai-sensei was holding that afternoon. Apparently it was tradition for the team to demonstrate their skills to the public and local press before the season started and this year, they attracted even more attention since the team had made it to the championship finals.

"Seriously, the whole school's gonna be there," Kiba told her excitedly as the bell rang. "You have to come!"

Sakura tried not to make a face in response as she stuffed her notebook in her bag. "And watch you guys play basketball for an hour? Isn't that pretty boring?"

He shook his head with amusement as he grabbed his letterman jacket from the back of his chair. "You know, most girls get pretty excited about watching the best-looking guys of Konoha High running around in jerseys and shorts."

"Right, just what you guys need," Sakura teased, getting to her feet. "Another excuse to boost your already over-inflated egos."

"Exactly," Kiba answered with a wink. "So will you come by and cheer me on then?"

He flashed her his best smile as he slipped his jacket on and Sakura could feel the heat rise to her face as she picked up her shoulder bag.

"Fine, I'll be there," she finally relented, following him into the junior hallway. "Besides I have a feeling Ino will make me go in any case."

It seemed the whole school was buzzing about the open basketball practice by lunchtime. All the students seemed excited, especially with the amount of press setting up camp around the school. The basketball team was easier to spot that day since they all wore their white, red and black letterman jackets and flocks of girls seemed to follow their every step between classes. It annoyed Ino and Tenten to no end, but Sakura ignored it all, although seeing the permanent scowl set on Sasuke's face made her smile. At the cafeteria, however, the basketball practice was the last thing on the girls' minds as they prepared for their night out.

"So I talked to Dei and he agreed to arrange everything for us," Ino explained to Okyo, who had joined them for lunch along with half the squad.

The blonde seemed to pause as if for effect, before finally announcing. "You better get ready girls, cause we're going to Amnesia!"

"No freaking way!" Kaori immediately exclaimed, as a couple of girls gasped.

Ino nodded, obviously pleased by her teammates' reaction.

"Are you serious?" Okyo asked excitedly. "Ino, that's awesome!"

"Yep, Dei's getting us all in, free of charge, and all the drinks are on him," she continued and this time, Sakura's ears picked up. She didn't know what kind of club Amnesia was but if Ino's cousin was paying for their drinks then it was definitely going to be a good night.

A few girls squealed at the news and Kaori even pulled Ino into a hug, causing the blonde to laugh.

Tenten immediately hushed them. "The guys are looking our way," she warned them, keeping an eye on the table where the basketball team sat. Sakura noticed Naruto and his friends had been joined by a bunch of seniors, who she hadn't met yet but noticed were also on the team judging by their jackets. "Remember we don't want anyone else to find out about tonight so keep quiet."

Okyo nodded and after deciding at what time to meet up at Ino's, the girls all went their separate ways.

Sakura remained with Ino, Tenten and Hinata to finish her lunch. She quickly realised Tenten's eyes were still narrowed at the boys' table - more specifically the numerous girls flocking around it.

"It's starting again," she spoke up quietly.

"Ten, let it go," Ino told her, biting into her sandwich. "It's going to be like this all year once the season starts. Besides, Neji's captain and it's only his junior year so of course he wants to make the most of it."

"It's like they forgot all about us," Tenten said bitterly.

"Don't forget you're the one who wouldn't sit with them anymore," Ino pointed out, although Sakura noticed her baby blue eyes were riveted on Chiaki, from the cheer squad, who was shamelessly flirting with Shikamaru.

"It's the letterman jacket effect," Sakura spoke up, looking away from the table just as Naruto caught her eye. "Makes them look even more hotter than usual. I could barely say no to Kiba earlier when he asked me to cheer for him at the open practice."

Ino raised an eyebrow at her in response.

"It's true. When I saw Kiba-kun this morning I could barely say two words to him without stuttering," Hinata admitted, a light blush to her cheeks.

"God, I wish I hadn't promised Neji I'd go and watch their stupid practice," Tenten added with a groan. "All his fangirls will be there."

"Quit worrying about them," Sakura reassured her, a sly smile playing on her lips. "This time next week we'll be performing Yuugao-sensei's routine in our skimpy cheer outfits in front of the whole school. After that I can guarantee our table will always be crowded with guys during lunchtime and then who do you think is going to make the most out of it?"

Ino laughed as Hinata blushed.

"Come on, forget Neji," Sakura continued in a softer tone, looking straight at Tenten. "Tonight, we're going clubbing and we're going to have fun! I promise you."

And for the first time that day, Sakura finally saw her brunette friend smile.

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><p>As the final bell of the day rang, Sakura had no idea what to expect as she slowly made her way to the school's main gymnasium, dedicated to the school's basketball team. She had walked past the doors many times that week but had never been through them before. As she walked inside along with Tenten, her mouth dropped open in shock.<p>

Basketball had been a rather big deal in Suna High, but in Konoha it was crazy!

The large gymnasium was decorated from floor to ceiling in red, black and white. Cameras and journalists flooded the sidelines, anxiously awaiting the start of the practice as the bleachers were packed with students and adults. Loud music was blasting from the speakers and a giant electronic scoreboard hung on the opposite wall scrolling the name of the players in red.

A huge red banner was sprawled across one of the walls behind the bleachers with the image of a deadly looking ninja with the Konoha leaf symbol on his mask, posing with a katana. Underneath it proclaimed: _Konoha High School, home to the Konoha Shinobi._

_Of course, _Sakura thought to herself. _I guess that explains the kunoichi thing…_

Tenten noticed her expression and laughed. "Insane, huh?"

Hinata appeared behind them and the three of them made their way to the bleachers to find a space to sit. Sakura couldn't believe how many people had even turned up.

_It's like half of Konoha is here and yet this isn't even a game, it's just a freaking practice!_

As she followed her friends, she was suddenly surprised to spot Jiraiya's long white mane in the crowd.

She stopped before him and noticed Iruka, Naruto's legal guardian, sitting next to him.

"Hey!" she called out and they greeted her in return with a smile.

"Sakura-hime!" Jiraiya cried out, pulling her into a tight hug. "Come to cheer on Naruto I suppose?"

"Um… yeah, I guess," she answered weakly, keeping an eye on her friends to see where they had sat down. "I wasn't expecting so many people to be here just for a practice session."

"They made quite a big deal out of it on local tv," Iruka explained, giving her a warm smile. "And Naruto wouldn't stop talking about it all week so we thought we'd surprise him. How are you, Sakura? Are you enjoying Konoha High?"

The threesome continued to chat for several minutes until Gai suddenly arrived on the basketball court and the music stopped signalling the start of the practice.

Sakura went to join her friends further up the bleachers as the players arrived on the court and everyone broke into shouts and applause. Watching the crazy fans around her, she suddenly thought about next week when she'd have to perform with the cheer squad and felt the colour drain from her face.

_It's going to be torture…_

She sat down next to Ino, who was cheering loudly for Shikamaru as he appeared on the court. The players began to spread out and warm up in small groups with Gai and his assistants.

Sakura smiled as she watched Naruto and Kiba goofing around with the basketballs trying to impress the crowd until Gai told them off.

"Do you know anything about basketball, Sakura?" Hinata asked her, appearing from behind Ino.

"A little," Sakura admitted, turning to face her. "Mostly because of Naruto. He's been obsessed with the game ever since my dad -"

She paused suddenly. She never liked talking about her father. Ino and Hinata stared back at her with concern.

"- taught him to play," she finished quietly. She then turned to face the court again, hoping her new friends wouldn't ask any questions. Fortunately, they didn't.

Eventually the team was split up in two and a friendly game started. Naruto and Sasuke were on the same side and together, Sakura noticed, they seemed pretty unstoppable. The crowd was wild throughout the whole game and Sakura cheered for Kiba as promised as he joined the game.

However, the more she watched the game, the more she found her eyes glued to Sasuke. He was dominant throughout the game, dribbling past his opponents before jumping in the air and slamming the ball through the basket effortlessly.

He made basketball look like child's play although Sakura knew how hard and tiresome the game actually was. She was definitely impressed and her eyes remained fixed on the dark and brooding Uchiha until she realised that most of the female population present in the gym was watching him as well.

_Damn, no wonder he's so arrogant_, Sakura thought watching as a bunch of sophomore girls screamed, cheering him on. _He's got the looks and the skills. Every girl wants to screw him and every guy wants to be him. What could possibly be wrong in his life?_

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><p>After the game ended, Sakura left and followed Jiraiya, who promised to drop her home, along with Iruka to wait for Naruto outside the locker rooms.<p>

A couple of journalists had stayed behind as well and were currently interviewing Gai, who was the first one out. Iruka had wandered off to greet several acquaintances as a few players eventually appeared, including Kiba, who walked over to Sakura as soon as he spotted her. Sakura was surprised to see Sasuke follow him.

"Jiraiya-sama," the boys greeted Sakura's uncle politely, shaking his hand.

"Kiba-kun, Sasuke-kun, you boys played well," Jiraiya congratulated them. "I can't wait until your first game next week."

They continued to talk about the upcoming match until Kiba turned to face Sakura.

"Hey, you came!"

"Yeah and I guess you guys don't suck as bad as I thought," she teased, trying to ignore the butterflies inside her stomach as the Inuzuka heir flashed her a brilliant smile.

"We're going out tonight to celebrate with the team," he informed her in a low voice. "Wanna come?"

"Sorry, can't do," she answered, wondering what the hell her uncle and Sasuke could be talking about. "We've got a girl's night planned with the squad."

"You girls going out?" Kiba asked, eyebrow raised in surprise.

"No, we're just going to chill at Ino's, you know, sleepover-type thing," she replied casually, hoping he wouldn't detect her lie.

"Really?" Kiba questioned, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Sounds like a pretty sensible thing for the cheer squad to do on a Friday night."

"Er…"

Fortunately, Jiraiya turned to clasp a hand on Kiba's shoulder and squeeze tightly.

"Kiba-kun, I hope you know better than to try and corrupt my Sakura-hime," he warned the Inuzuka heir, causing Sakura to roll her eyes.

Kiba paled visibly at the hidden threat behind Jiraiya's actions and cleared his throat before speaking again. "No, of course not, Jiraiya-sama."

"_Jiraiya_," Sakura growled at her uncle, hitting his arm lightly as a warning. "Leave him alone."

Jiraiya let go of Kiba and grinned widely at her. "But Sakura-hime, I'm only looking out for you," he exclaimed in an eccentric fashion whilst suddenly striking one of his famous kabuki poses. "You have no idea how dangerous high school can be for such a young attractive woman as yourself!"

Sakura groaned in embarrassment at his antics. _Oh God, and I thought he would try to embarrass Naruto…_

"Boys in high school are merely perverts and voyeurs. They may seem nice and charming at first, but do not be fooled! The only thing on their mind is sex," he continued dramatically, pointing at Kiba, who looked just as mortified as Sakura. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked rather amused as his dark eyes stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Please stop talking," Sakura ordered the older man, but he took no notice of her.

"We thought we might have lost you in Suna while you were dating that good-for-nothing Sabaku heir, but at least now in Konoha I can keep an eye on you. I feel like it's my duty since your father died and -"

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto exclaimed, interrupting his godfather. "Stop bothering Sakura-chan or I'll tell Tsunade what really happened that time we got kicked out of the onsen."

Jiraiya immediately shut up and Sakura shot Naruto a grateful look. He nodded at her in return.

"Right well I'll meet up with you kids in the carpark," Jiraiya informed, rubbing the back of his head in a very Naruto-like manner before slipping away down the corridor. "Nice seeing you, Sasuke-kun, Kiba-kun."

"It'd better get going myself," Kiba spoke up, before turning to face Sakura. "Have fun tonight with the girls and take pictures for me!"

He winked suggestively and she rolled her eyes in return. "Yeah, you wish!"

He left quickly and Sakura suddenly felt Sasuke's cold eyes on her.

"Where is Ino taking you tonight?" he asked, his voice stern. "I know you were lying earlier."

Sakura blinked back in surprise. "Nowhere, we're staying at hers. Besides, even if we were going out I don't see how that's any of your business."

Sasuke didn't respond but his dark eyes quickly narrowed into a glare.

"What's he talking about?" Naruto piped up, clearly confused.

"Nothing important," Sakura said hastily, turning to her best friend. "Come on, we'd better catch up to Jiraiya. Bye, Sasuke!"

She shot the Uchiha a smirk before dragging Naruto along with her down the corridor. When they slowed down to a walk, she glanced up at him nervously.

"You did really well out there, Naruto," she praised him, smiling. "You've improved a lot."

"Thanks," he answered, grinning in return. "I'm sorry about Ero-sennin earlier. I knew I shouldn't have kept you guys waiting."

Sakura groaned as she thought of her uncle's eccentric attitude. "God, why did Tsunade oba-san have to marry an idiot like him?"

A hand suddenly caught her wrist, causing Sakura to stop and look up in surprise.

"Sakura, we need to talk," Naruto told her bluntly. "You can't keep ignoring me forever."

"Naruto..."

"I can't stand not being able to talk to you."

"I know, its the same for me," Sakura told him with a sigh. "God Naruto, I'm sorry, I just -"

She stopped, unsure how to justify her behaviour for the past couple of days and quickly shook her head.

"Look we're both busy tonight so how about we hang out tomorrow and talk then?"

Naruto nodded in agreement, looking relieved before a large grin split his face.

"So what exactly are you planning at Ino's place tonight?"

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><p><strong><strong><strong>Haha, who thinks the guys won't find out about the girls going clubbing...? I was hoping to write the club scene earlier but it seemed a few things needed to be developed first. Again I actually know very little about cheerleading and basketball so if anything sounds wrong to you, do point it out!<br>******

******I like to think of these 9 first chapters as introductory and things will probably speed up from now on.  
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******Reviews are more than welcome :)  
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	10. Girls Night Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I also don't own any of the songs mentioned in this chapter - it's all for fun.**

**This chapter is dedicated to kittychic0895, my 100th reviewer!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

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><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura looked long and hard at herself in Ino's full-length mirror and smirked.

The pair of black shorts she wore with a black, red and blue kimono-style top went perfectly with the Prada peep toe ankle boots Ino had lent her for the night.

Sakura wasn't used to such high heels, almost 4-inch, but even she had to admit the boots made her legs look stunning.

"You look gorgeous," Ino stated from behind, looking satisfied with her work since she had helped Sakura pick an outfit. "Now quit looking at yourself and tell me exactly what you said to Naruto."

Sakura looked over her shoulder, frowning at her new friend. "I didn't say anything," she retorted, watching as her blonde friend was busy applying the final touches of her make-up. "I told him we were staying here for the night and he seemed to believe me, although I really hate having to lie to him."

"It's for the best," Ino assured her, also checking her appearance in the mirror. "Naruto can't keep a secret and would eventually have told Neji, who would then kill me or Dei… or both."

"Because of Hinata?" Sakura asked.

"And Tenten," Ino added, standing up, a wicked smile on her lips as she smoothed out her tight silver party dress. "That idiot may be stubborn as hell when it comes to dating her, but he still cares about her and if he ever saw her with someone else, he would freak."

Sakura tried to picture in her mind what Neji freaking out would look like and failed. "But that's hardly fair," she pointed out, taking a seat on the blonde's bed. "If Neji won't date her, he can't expect her not to see other guys."

"That's not how the guys see it," Ino told her with a sigh, shaking her head. "See in their minds, Tenten is Neji's girl and no other guy is allowed near her. That's why they're always pissed off when we flirt on the bench every morning."

_Huh, but it's not just Tenten, it's also Ino_, Sakura thought to herself, choosing not to voice her thoughts to her friend yet. _Does that mean they think Ino belongs with Shikamaru?_ _Did something happen between the two of them in the past?_

"Don't worry about it too much," Ino continued, stuffing her purse and phone in a small deep purple clutch bag. "The guys are a little over-protective like that but in the end they're just looking out for us. They don't want us to get hurt."

Sakura was surprised to hear a touch of sadness in Ino's voice and remembered something Hinata had said during their Chemistry class. The Hyuuga heiress had pointed out a strange boy with jet-black hair and pale skin and for a moment Sakura thought it was Sasuke until she saw his face. Hinata had briefly mentioned that he was Ino's ex-boyfriend but he wasn't very nice and it was best to stay away from him. Sakura quickly realised it had been Hinata's polite way of telling her that the guy was a jerk.

It seemed he had hurt Ino pretty badly.

"So you and Naruto are talking again then?"

Sakura froze. She knew her friends had noticed that she had been purposely ignoring Naruto the past couple of days but they hadn't questioned her about it. Until now.

"Er… yeah, I guess."

Ino's blue eyes scanned her face closely. "Did you two have a fight or something?"

When Sakura didn't answer immediately, she quickly added. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry, it's just that you guys are pretty close and we were worried you might have fallen out. Naruto can be a dense idiot at times."

Sakura chuckled in return. "No, actually I was the idiot this time," she said honestly and gradually opened up to Ino, telling her everything that had happened after leaving the Yamanaka compound with Naruto.

"I completely misread the whole situation and pretty much ran," Sakura admitted, looking down at her hands. "And instead of talking things through, I've been ignoring him since. I don't really know what to say."

Ino listened carefully, before turning to open a small cabinet door in her desk and retrieving a bottle along with two shot glasses.

Sakura burst out laughing as she recognised the bottle of tequila clasped in the blonde's hand.

"Oh God, don't tell me my story is that bad!" she exclaimed.

Ino smiled in return. "No, this is just to get us started as the others will be here in a few minutes," she explained, opening the bottle and filling the two glasses.

"What happened with Naruto actually doesn't surprise me at all," she continued, handing Sakura a glass. "You two have known each other for ages and become pretty attached so it's only natural that one of you would develop stronger feelings at some point. Maybe seeing all those girls flirting with him or hearing him talking about his dates made you jealous not because you like him in a romantic sense but because you're used to him giving you all his attention. Suddenly you realise that you're not the only girl in his life and so your attachment to him became stronger. And when he saw you with Dei the other night, he probably felt the same way."

Sakura was impressed by how much Ino understood. "Wow, I'm glad I talked to you. It's easier to realise these things when someone else explains them to you," she said, fiddling with her shot glass. "I just hope I haven't ruined our friendship. Things always get weird between friends once someone expresses feelings."

Ino leaned closer, a look of concern in her eyes. "Ruin your friendship with Naruto, are you kidding me? Naruto's the most loyal friend I know, you'll never be able to get rid of him no matter what you do."

A giggle escaped Sakura's lips as she thought of her boisterous blond friend, who had always been there for her no matter what.

"Besides, you guys are practically family," Ino continued, just as numerous voices and laughter were heard downstairs. "Come on, the girls are here."

She quickly lifted her shot glass up for a toast.

"Now here's to my new awesome friend, Sakura, and our first night out."

Sakura grinned, toasting Ino in return before both girls downed their shots in one go.

******..~**~..******

By the time Chiaki finally showed up at Ino's, Okyo had already organised a few drinking games to get everyone in the right mood and chatty. Sakura had spent the half-hour drinking and chatting with Tenten and Kagura, who turned out to be a lot of fun.

Apparently only twelve girls could make it that night. Nanako along with another senior hadn't been allowed to go and as for Karin, it seemed the redhead had flatly declined Okyo's invitation.

Once it was time to leave, Sakura could already feel the effects of alcohol getting to her head. She checked up on her make-up once more in the mirror. She usually didn't like wearing lots of make-up and mostly wore mascara and a few times eyeliner to school, but when clubbing she nearly always went with smouldering smoky eyes to make her eyes pop in the dim lighting. Tonight, she'd gone for her classic bronze and gold eye shadow duo which, along with black mascara and eyeliner, complimented her bright green eyes the best. Satisfied nothing had smeared, she finally headed outside following Hinata and Tenten inside a car.

It turned out that Deidara had thought of everything for their night out and had ensured three cars including chauffeurs would take them to the club and then come fetch them whenever needed so they wouldn't have to spend money on taxis.

The ride to the club went by in a blur as the three girls, along with Ino in the front seat, chatted and joked with each other. It was the most fun Sakura had had in weeks and she hadn't even reached the club yet. For the first time that week she finally felt part of the small group and couldn't thank her lucky stars enough to have found such awesome girls.

As they reached the club and the car slowed down, Sakura's excitement died as she spotted the long queue leading to the club. She then suddenly remembered they were supposed to be on the VIP list.

"Hey, Ino?" she asked, continuing to stare out the window. "Since Dei got us into VIP, does that mean we get to skip the queue?"

Sakura turned to find Ino smiling brightly back at her. "You betcha."

The car stopped right in front of the club entrance and Ino leapt out, motioning to the others to follow her. As Sakura stepped out of the car, she could hear the loud music emanating from the entrance. Jealous stares were thrown the girls' way as they were ushered past the bouncers and into the club.

Akon's _Smack That_ was playing as Sakura and the girls entered, causing some squeals from Kaori and Kagura trailing behind. Sakura followed Ino through the crowd and was immediately impressed by the size of the club, which had a large central dance floor with bars on all four sides and an upper mezzanine VIP floor, which looked down directly on the crowd. The girls were settled at their table where cocktails and champagne bottles were waiting for them and as soon as everyone was gathered, Okyo proposed a toast to Ino and Deidara for organising everything.

"You and your cousin rock!" Sakura told her blonde friend, sipping her cocktail. "Now let's go dance, I love this song!"

******..~**~..******

A few hours later, Sakura walked out from the girl's bathroom and looked around. She wasn't sure how long she'd been in the club or where her friends were currently at but she knew for sure that she was having the best night she'd had in a very long time. She'd spent most of the night dancing among the crowd with Ino and Tenten and sometimes in a big group with all the girls. The DJ had played some of her favourite club songs and she'd had a blast drinking and dancing all evening and forgetting about everything else. She'd even moved towards a couple of hot college guys who'd caught her eye at some point and danced with them. One of them she was sure was an Inuzuka.

Moving back to the VIP space, Sakura walked past Okyo, Hinata and Fuki sitting at the table and chatting amongst themselves. She smiled at them before looking down at the dance floor from the balcony hoping to spot Ino or Tenten among the crowd. She briefly considered texting them but figured they'd never hear their phones inside the club and besides, she doubted she was sober enough to write a coherent text message.

Turning towards the VIP bar, she suddenly noticed one of the cute college boys she'd been dancing with earlier standing beside it, a beer in hand.

As soon as he spotted her, he winked.

She smiled in return and approached him slowly, careful not to stumble in her high heels.

"What's your poison?" he asked her with a wolfish smile, tilting his head towards the bar. He was tall and had a rather large build. His skin was tanned and his eyes were dark brown along with his short hair.

_Definitely an Inuzuka_, Sakura thought to herself. The guy's resemblance to Kiba was uncanny.

"Tequila," she answered and he gave her a surprised look but ordered them a couple of shots nonetheless.

"So how is it that a girl like you is up here by herself?" he asked, his dark eyes watching her closely.

She laughed lightly and held his gaze. "I'm here with my friends actually, but I seem to have lost most of them to the dance floor."

Once the shots were poured, Sakura downed hers and then smiled knowingly at the older guy beside her. He was hot as hell.

"You're an Inuzuka, right?" she asked him, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks from the alcohol.

He shot her a curious look. "That easy to spot, huh?"

"I just happen to know Kiba from school and you look just like him," she admitted, ordering another drink for herself.

The Inuzuka looked stunned. "You're in high school? Fuck, I thought you were a freshman at KU. No wonder I've never seen you around before. What's your name?"

"Sakura."

He held out his hand, which Sakura took.

"It's nice to meet you, Sakura." The Inuzuka brought her hand to his lips causing Sakura to blush. "I'm Kouta. Kiba's actually my cousin. You guys hang out?"

Sakua noticed he kept her hand in his own but didn't mind at all. "Yeah, I guess, although my friends know him a lot better. I'm new to Konoha High."

"I'm surprised Kiba isn't out here tonight," Kouta added, looking around. "He and his basketball buddies don't usually let their girls go out clubbing by themselves. You never know who they could meet."

Feeling the alcohol's strong effect, Sakura shot him her brightest smile in return.

"Yeah this whole girls' night out thing is pretty much a secret," Sakura explained, taking a sip of the pink cocktail the bartender placed in front of her. "Apparently the guys would flip if they knew we were out here even though they're not our boyfriends. That's crazy, right?"

She didn't notice Kouta remain silent and finished her drink instead, looking back over at her friends.

"I'm going to head back to the dance floor. Maybe I'll see you there?"

She shot him what she hoped was her best seductive smile and walked away before he could answer, hoping to find her friends once more in the crowd.

She never noticed Kouta's stare following her as she walked away or the phone he fished out from the back pocket of his jeans.

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>Across town, Naruto kept a sharp eye on Shikamaru as he stared intently at the pool table before him. A few seconds later, the Nara heir dropped in with his cue and perfectly nailed the stripe ball in the pocket. To Naruto's despair, the cue ball then neatly rolled back towards his lazy friend allowing him a perfect shot for the 8 ball.<p>

Naruto sighed in frustration, digging his hand into his back pocket before slamming down his money on the table.

"Remind me never to go up against you again," he grumbled, handing his cue to Sasuke, who shook his head in return.

Kiba laughed as he hit Naruto on the back in a sympathetic gesture and offered him a beer. "Hey, we did warn you, man."

They had been hogging the pool table for the last hour at the downtown bar, Jutsu, a favourite among high school students since the staff rarely asked for ID.

As Shikamaru rolled the rack of balls back and forth, preparing the table for the next game against Sasuke, Naruto watched Kiba walk away to answer his phone. Sitting back down next to Neji, Naruto silently drank his beer, briefly wondering what the girls could be upto at Ino's. His thoughts were quickly dismissed as a large group of students suddenly entered the bar, including a tall redhead with glasses tucked under Suigetsu's arm.

The whole swim team had just arrived.

_Shit!_

Fortunately, the group headed straight for the bar to order drinks and away from Naruto and his friends, who had also caught sight of the team's arrival.

"What's Karin doing here?" Naruto asked, voicing his thoughts. "Shouldn't she be at Ino's?"

Shikamaru barely looked up from the pool table and shrugged, whilst Sasuke remained passive. Only Neji seemed to share the same concerns as Naruto as he glared at the couple, who were smugly making their way towards the pool table.

"Well, lookey here," Suigetsu called out as he reached them, his arm still firmly wrapped around Karin's shoulders. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you boys here tonight."

The redhead gave them all a superior look before adding. "I guess they still haven't figured it out yet, Sui."

Suigetsu's pointy smile grew even larger. "No shit."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto growled, fed up of their act.

"Well I'm not supposed to tell, you know," Karin explained in a mock tone. "It's all supposed to be a secret after all. Okyo was very specific about not telling the boys anything."

Seeing realisation dawn upon their faces, Karin gave a fake gasp. "Oh no, have I said too much and ruined the squad's night out?"

Neji was immediately up on his feet. "Where are they?"

Karin sneered in return. "Now that would really be telling. It's more fun if you have to guess. Have a good evening, boys!"

And with that she turned on her heel and pulled Suigetsu away with her towards the bar.

"Damn, I can't believe that bitch is related to the Uzumaki clan," Naruto growled before turning to face Sasuke. "What now?"

It seemed Neji already had his phone in his hand probably trying to contact Hinata while Naruto had half a mind to grab his phone as well and try calling Sakura.

Before Sasuke could answer, however, Kiba showed up again.

"They're at Amnesia," he announced, downing the rest of his beer before grabbing his leather jacket. "I just heard from Kouta. He's out clubbing and met a pink-haired girl named Sakura, who said she knew me."

"You're sure?" Neji asked gravely.

Kiba nodded. "She told him she was out clubbing with her friends in secret."

Shikamaru chuckled beside him. "Well that was pretty dumb of her."

"Well apparently she's pretty drunk," Kiba explained to them.

A deep frown immediately took over the Hyuuga's features. Naruto groaned and turned to pick up his jacket. He knew exactly how this was going to end.

"Let's go," Sasuke ordered, his voice clearly leaving no room for discussion.

They quickly left the bar, heading for their cars.

Kiba and Naruto hopped inside Sasuke's car as Shikamaru left with Neji.

"I hope the girls haven't done anything stupid," Naruto muttered under his breath as the engine started.

Sasuke merely gave him a sideways glance as Kiba sighed from the backseat. "Man, if anything's happened to Hinata or Tenten, Neji's definitely going to kill Ino for this."

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>Some time later, Sakura managed to find Ino and Kagura again amongst the crowd. Ino looked wasted and Kagura didn't seem any better. Sakura laughed as they stumbled around, dancing with each other, twisting their hips, arms in the air. Sakura spotted Tenten at some point throughout the crowd dancing intimately with a slender, blond guy and pointed them out to Ino, who grinned in return. Kagura then pointed out Kaori making out with a guy in a dark corner of the club and the girls laughed before being approached by a group of college guys again, who Ino had winked at.<p>

The three girls decided to give the guys a show as they danced together, moving their bodies to the rhythm as a new song came on.

A cute brunette stepped up behind Sakura, wrapping his arms around her waist. She tossed her head to the side, giving him her best smile as she danced with him. By the end of the song, Kagura was heatedly making out with another guy.

Matsumi, another senior who spotted for Fuki, arrived to dance with them and Sakura decided to head to the bar and grab another drink. She found Fuki standing awkwardly beside the bar, a glass of clear liquid, probably water, in one hand.

"Fuki! What are you doing by yourself?" Sakura exclaimed loudly over the music.

The small junior smiled brightly at Sakura, looking grateful to have been found. "I was waiting for Tenten to return but I guess she's still in there dancing."

"Yeah, forget Tenten, she's busy," Sakura told her, thinking about the good-looking blond dancing with her. "Let's head back to the table."

Unfortunately, as she finished talking, the first beats to Flo Rida's _Club can't handle me_ started, making her squeal and want to head towards the dance floor again.

"Fuki, I fucking love this song, come on, let's go dan -"

However, the shocked look on Fuki's face gave Sakura pause. Following the girl's stare, Sakura looked over her shoulder and froze at the sight before her.

Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba stood up on the mezzanine, staring down at the crowd below.

_Fuck! They're like the mafia or something… How did they find out?_

With the fitting background song, their imposing stance and the serious look on their faces, they looked so devastatingly handsome, it was almost criminal. Coming back to her senses, Sakura turned back to face an anxious Fuki again.

"Where's Hinata?" Sakura asked quickly, not able to see their table from where she was standing.

"Last time I checked she was still with Okyo," Fuki informed her before her eyes went wide. "Sakura, they're headed our way!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder again and sure enough, Naruto and Neji were headed down the stairs towards her.

"Fuki, I think you'd better go find Ino or Okyo," Sakura told her and the other girl nodded before disappearing towards the dance floor.

Sakura winced as she watched Naruto and a very pissed off Neji head straight for her. She glanced upwards again towards the balcony and noticed Sasuke casually leaning against the metal rail, a smug look on his face. His dark eyes, dancing with amusement, fixed her face.

Sakura tried her best to glare at him in return, whilst Inner Sakura was yelling a string of colourful curses inside her head. The intense glaring contest was broken as her name was called out.

"Sakura-chan!"

She turned to see Naruto standing before her and smiled brightly in return.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed, trying to sound mildly surprised by his presence. Beside him stood Neji and Kiba. "Oh, hey guys! What are you doing here?"

"That's what we wanted to ask you," Naruto retorted, watching her closely.

Sakura turned away from his scrutinising gaze and noticed Neji's death glare beside him instead. Her smile faltered.

"Well… er… a sleepover sounded boring so we thought we'd come out here instead."

_Wow, as if they'd believe that one, _Inner Sakura taunted her.

"Where's Hinata?" Neji asked coldly, pushing past Naruto.

"She's fine," Sakura reassured him quickly, trying not to seem intimidated by the tall Hyuuga. She was about to tell him where to find his cousin when Naruto suddenly put a hand on Neji's shoulder.

"Neji," he cut in, looking pointedly up towards the balcony.

Sakura turned to see Shikamaru appear beside Sasuke at the balcony rail with Hinata and Okyo in tow. Shikamaru looked down towards Neji and nodded.

Sakura breathed a small sigh of relief but it was short-lived as Ino suddenly stumbled away from the dance floor and appeared before them, drink in hand. She seemed completely wasted.

"Yamanaka," Neji growled through gritted teeth taking a step towards her. However, he stopped short when, to everyone's shock, Tenten also emerged from the crowd followed by her hot, blond dance partner.

The dancing couple didn't notice the rest of the group and headed straight for the bar instead. For several seconds, no one moved or dared to make a sound as they all waited for Neji's reaction. Naruto and Kiba exchanged glances. Sakura stared wide-eyed at Ino, who looked just as shocked.

And then, Neji shot forward towards the bar.

"No, Neji, wait!" Ino exclaimed, running after him as best she could. She grabbed his arm and he stopped, turning his head slightly to one side.

"Let go of me," he snapped coldly, his white eyes narrowed. The vibe of anger surrounding him stunned Sakura into silence. Even Naruto and Kiba seemed hesitant to approach their friend.

_This isn't at all how the girl's night out was supposed to go!_

"Why? What exactly are you planning on doing, Neji?" Ino bit back fiercely and Sakura winced. Clearly the alcohol had hyped Ino's boldness. "You made it perfectly clear nothing would happen between you and Tenten. She's not your girl. So if she wants to move on and see other guys, that's her choice and you have to respect that."

The dangerous look on Neji's face made it perfectly clear what he thought of Tenten's choice but all the same, when Ino released her grip on him, he remained still.

"There you are!" Okyo's voice interrupted them and Sakura was relieved to see her, along with Shikamaru and Hinata show up.

"Neji nii-san," Hinata began, standing before her cousin. "I'm so sorry if I made you worry. Okyo was with me at all times tonight and I didn't drink any alcohol, I promise. I just – I just wanted to have fun with the girls."

Neji's expression turned to stone. "Hinata, we'll talk about this at home."

Hinata nodded, slightly taken aback by Neji's sharp tone, and looked down at her feet in shame.

Sakura immediately wanted to stick up for her, but she felt Naruto grasp her shoulder and decided to remain quiet.

"Hyuuga-san," Okyo intervened, standing beside Hinata. "Tonight was my idea. I wanted the girls to get to know each other better and suggested we go out together. Please do not be angry with Hinata, I take full responsibility for the evening."

Ino huffed beside her. "Jeez, way to ruin the evening boys," she slurred, taking another sip from the drink. "Thanks for showing up where you're not invited!"

"Ino," Okyo warned her but Shikamaru was by the drunken girl's side in an instant, plucking the glass out of her hand.

"I think that's enough," he said softly, before turning to face Neji. "There are three cars waiting for them outside. I'll take these three with me in one of the cars and make sure they get back safely to the Yamanaka compound."

"I'll go find Fuki," Okyo added quickly. "She'll probably want to leave as well."

Neji nodded and the girls set off, Shikamaru steering a drunk and protesting Ino through the crowd, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

Neji stared back towards the bar, looking once more at Tenten, his jaw clenched tight. Suddenly, he turned to face Kiba.

"I need a drink," he told his friend as he headed back to the mezzanine.

"Totally with you, man," Kiba added, following after him.

Sakura glanced back at Naruto and let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Sooo…" she began, not quite sure what to think of everything that had just happened. "That was intense."

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>Sasuke stood outside by himself, appreciating one of the last summer nights of Konoha, lazily smoking a cigarette.<p>

He had watched from his spot up on the mezzanine the scene between Ino and Neji unfold before him and already knew where the evening was headed. Years of friendship with the clan heirs meant that he could almost read their minds and predict their actions. The moment Sasuke spotted Tenten from afar in another guy's company, he knew the Hyuuga would not leave the club until he had made sure that she had gone home safely with the girls. He was now perched up on the mezzanine drinking with Kiba and keeping an eye on his girl from afar. Sasuke had joined them for a while before stepping outside for a smoke and enjoying the peace and quiet of the night.

He had purposely chosen a dark corner not too far from the backdoor exit to remain unseen from the other smokers, who milled in and out, and from the drunken girls, who were certain to come bother him otherwise.

He had not expected, however, to spot a drunken Sakura stumbling outside and giggling loudly, as Naruto followed behind, leading her to the safety of the small brick wall, several feet away from Sasuke.

"I'm fine!" Sakura insisted as Naruto helped her sit down and asked her again if she wanted him to fetch her a glass of water. "I didn't have that much to drink."

Sasuke silently disagreed and as the pink-haired girl stretched out her shapely legs before her, he allowed his gaze to travel over her body. His eyes remained fixed appreciatively on the pair of shorts and ankle boots she wore and briefly wondered if Ino had had any hand in the way she was dressed that night.

"Come sit next to me," she invited Naruto, patting the stretch of wall beside her.

Sasuke watched as his best friend did so and inhaled from his cigarette once more as he looked on from the shadows. For some reason he couldn't yet understand, he didn't want to interrupt the intimate moment between the two, but couldn't bring himself to leave either.

His eyes were drawn like a magnet to the way Sakura's head naturally came to rest upon Naruto's shoulder and how his arm instinctively wrapped around her waist.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, after a long moment of silence. "I was an idiot for running away the other night. I wasn't thinking."

"Sakura -"

"No wait, just let me finish," she continued, lifting her head up to face him. "I spoke to Ino earlier about it and she helped me understand some things."

She paused and Sasuke could sense the hesitation within her before she spoke.

"I thought… God, I thought maybe I was falling for you or something. I thought all this jealousy I was feeling towards other girls, I thought it meant that perhaps my feelings for you were deeper than before, but that wasn't it."

She paused before laughing softly. "We've always been together, you know? And we've always been so protective of one another that seeing you with other people – _girls_ – seemed weird. Suddenly all your attention wasn't on me anymore and the other day in the car, when you said you weren't jealous, you sounded so sure… so adamant about it, that it hurt, you know? But I was mistaken and confused, Naruto, which is why I avoided you after, I didn't know what it was I was feeling."

She shifted, facing him fully as she spoke again. "I love you, Naruto, but I'm not _in_ love with you… I know that now. You're one of the most important people in my life. You're not only my best friend, you're my _family _and I wanted you to know that. I just hope I didn't make things weird between us when I thought there was something more."

The ghost of a smile played on Sasuke's lips as he took a last drag from his cigarette before flicking it away.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto finally spoke up and Sasuke felt the slightest twinge of guilt towards his best friend as he continued to listen. "I had a massive crush on you for the past three years."

The shock on Sakura's face mirrored Sasuke's.

"I'm completely over it now!" he added quickly, seeing her reaction. "But yeah, I was completely infatuated the summer before high school so I more than understand what it was you were feeling. I mean it nearly killed me when I heard you started dating Kankuro."

Decided he had heard enough, Sasuke waited for another wave of smokers to exit the club before quietly slipping from his hiding place back into the inferno inside.

******..~**~..******

Sakura stared after the club's backdoor incredulously as it shut behind the retreating Uchiha's back.

_That bastard! He was standing in the shadows listening to us the whole time!_

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked, cutting into her thoughts.

Quickly snapping out of it, Sakura's gaze flicked to Naruto again. "Yes, sorry. God, I can't believe you were into me all that time and never said anything about it!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. "Yeah, well, there never seemed to be a right time and then I guess I got over it. But you're right, it is somewhat weird suddenly being thrown together in the same high school and seeing you hang out with other guys, but me. And I understand what you meant."

A lopsided grin spread over his face. "You're important to me too, Sakura-chan," he told her earnestly. "As an orphan, my life could have been a lot worse if it weren't for Iruka, Baa-chan, Ero-sennin and you. You're my family too and know that whatever happens, you'll never lose me. "

Sakura felt stupid as tears started to prick her eyes.

"And I love you too," Naruto added as an afterthought and she quickly pulled him into a tight hug, laughing and thanking him for his words.

"Alright, that's enough mushy talk for one night," Naruto exclaimed, standing up to his feet as Sakura brushed her tears away with the back of her hand. "Let's head back. I want to keep an eye on Neji. If that college pervert tries to makes a move on Tenten, Neji's gonna lay him out."

******..~**~..******

* * *

><p>Sakura plopped herself down next to Kagura, twirling yet another cocktail in her hand. After a round of shots with Naruto and Kiba, the two guys had headed back to their table where a pissed off Hyuuga and a brooding Uchiha were currently sitting. They seemed intent on staying out of the girls' way although they still kept an eye on them.<p>

Sakura thought the whole thing was stupid but seeing the look of irritation on Neji's face, who had barely taken his eyes off Tenten all night, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

The girls, seeing the boys' arrival decided to regroup around their table for a while, all except Tenten and Kaori, who were still out on the dance floor.

"This sucks," Kagura voiced Sakura's thoughts, dumping her empty glass back on the table. "You girls should have warned us your boyfriends were bound to show up and spoil our fun. Now none of the cute college guys will come near us."

The other girls murmured in agreement as Sakura quickly protested. "Hey, I had nothing to do with this! The guys are just being jerks!"

"They're protecting their girls," Chiaki explained to her with a condescending smile. "It's the way they were raised. All clan guys are the same, but surely you know that already."

Sakura bit back a retort, as Matsumi spoke up. "Well I wouldn't mind Sasuke-kun or even Kiba-kun looking after me."

"Yeah, I don't know what you're bitching about Sakura when the five hottest guys in school come after you," added Kagura, staring at the guys' table.

"They came for Hinata and Tenten," Sakura protested weakly, focusing on the drink in her hand instead.

"You're right, Kagura," another senior piped up whose name Sakura had a hard time remembering. "What I wouldn't give for Sasuke-kun to even _look_ at me, let alone try to protect me."

"Karin is such an idiot for letting the most gorgeous guy slip through her fingers," Chiaki stated, her eyes also flicking towards the guys.

_And yet he's a complete ice cube and a total ass who eavesdrops on people's private conversations! _Sakura wanted to yell at them, but decided it probably wasn't a good idea. However, listening to them fangirl over Sasuke was making her sick - although it also could have been all the alcohol.

"I bet he's got an amazing body," yet another senior commented in a dreamy voice.

"Of course he has!" Matsumi retorted immediately. "Haven't you seen him after games when he takes his shirt off? It's one of the bonuses of being a cheerleader… we get to see that moment up close."

Kagura smirked in turn. "I bet he's amazing in bed as well," she added in a low voice catching all the girls' attention, whilst Sakura felt her patience snap. "Although I've never seen him with any girls since Karin. I wonder why that is."

"Oh I'll tell you why that is," Sakura spoke up harshly before she could stop herself, a twisted idea suddenly forming inside her head.

_Oh yes, payback is a bitch!_ Inner Sakura cackled wickedly.

All eyes turned on her.

"I'm sorry to break it to you ladies, but your precious Sasuke-kun… is gay."

******..~**~..******

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><p><strong>Oh yes, alcohol gives us all silly, silly ideas... I think you can all guess how Sasuke will feel about Sakura's little outburst, hmm :)<strong>

**Well I'm back!** **I hope this chapter was a nice surprise to you all and I'd like to thank everyone who continued reading and reviewing this fic even though I'd taken such a long break. Club scenes and the guy's POV was harder to write, so let me know what you guys thought of this one, yeah? Neji too OOC?**

**sai ninja xxx **


	11. Deal with the Uchiha

********This chapter is dedicated to golden doe, my 130th reviewer, who always leaves me long, insightful reviews! Thank you! :)********

********Also a massive shout-out to Sakura Meiko Uchiha, who betaread this chapter :)********

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><p><strong><strong><strong>Chapter 11<strong>****

******..~**~..******

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><p>Sakura rolled over trying to drown out the two voices whispering beside her.<p>

"… so then Yuusuke, that's the blond guy's name - "

"He was definitely the hottest thing on the dance floor last night by the way," Ino's voice interrupted.

"Right, so then Yuusuke and his friends, suddenly walk out of the nightclub behind us and call out to Neji. Yuusuke looked really pissed that I was leaving like that."

"I'm not surprised; you had him all hot and bothered when I left the club."

Sakura groaned, grabbing her pillow and squashing it over her head.

_Oh my God, shut up! Go chat somewhere else, I need more sleep!_

"… and he got right in Neji's face, telling him to get lost."

"No fucking way!" Ino exclaimed.

"Yeah I thought they were going to get into a fight then and there. It was pretty scary, but then Neji told him to 'walk away' in his typical 'don't fuck with me' voice and eventually Yuusuke's friends dragged him away."

"Damn Ten! You must have loved every second of it."

"What?!"

"Oh come on, when has Neji ever been in a fight?"

"Er… like every other week, Ino. The guys are always getting in trouble!"

"Yes, but when has Neji ever been the one to start it?"

Sakura relished the short silence that followed, shifting deeper inside her sleeping bag.

"See? And yet there he was last night, ready to get in a fight… over you," Ino finished.

"Whatever, doesn't mean anything happened between us. He just drove me here and barely said a word to me on the way," Tenten's voice spoke up again after a while, although it seemed softer. However, Sakura's peace was short-lived when the brunette's voice boomed loudly again. "Oh yeah and I totally forgot to tell you the most important thing! How we found Sakura in the toilets making out with a random stranger!"

Sakura immediately jolted upwards. "WHAT?!"

Ino and Tenten looked back at her in surprise before falling into peals of laughter.

"Oh my God, the look on your face!" Tenten exclaimed and Sakura immediately realised they had been toying with her. "Sorry, it was just too tempting! We knew you were listening."

"Ugh, you dumbass," Sakura said with a yawn, falling back onto her pillow.

"Oi, sleepyhead, wake up!" Ino yelled, throwing a pillow at Sakura. "Your mom called 20 minutes ago. She said she expects you home in an hour so you better get your ass in gear if you want a shower and breakfast before leaving."

Sakura opened her eyes again and groaned. Her head was killing her and her throat felt horribly dry.

_You forgot to drink water last night before going to bed so now you feel like shit_! Her Inner self lectured her.

_Damn, this day is going to suck… but wait, how did I even get back last night?_

Leaning up again from her sleeping bag, Sakura noticed she was in Ino's bedroom, sleeping on the floor whilst the two girls, laying on the bed, were already cleaned and dressed.

"Did we head back with Deidara's cars last night?" Sakura asked, her eyes squinting against the morning light shining through the large windows.

"Jeez Sakura, how much did you drink?" Ino teased her, handing her a water bottle and an aspirin. "Don't you remember heading home?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not really. Everything's pretty fuzzy after the guys arrived at the club." She popped the aspirin in her mouth and gulped down almost all the water. "Although I do remember having an awesome time and meeting a very cute-looking Inuzuka. I think his name was Kouga or something."

Ino and Tenten exchanged a look.

"Do you mean Kouta?" Ino asked and Sakura nodded.

"That's Kiba's cousin, Sakura!" Ino exclaimed, throwing her hands up dramatically and causing Tenten to roll her eyes as her friend's outburst. "Were you the one who told him about our night out? Cause that's how the guys found out we were at Amnesia."

Sakura was dumbstruck. "Yeah, I guess I'm the one who told him we were out in secret… but I never imagined he'd call Kiba!"

"Well duh!" Ino continued, seemingly pissed off. "Kiba's the clan heir. His cousin would never keep anything from him."

"That sounds insane," Sakura retorted, wondering what the hell was wrong with these clans. She didn't remember any similar situation with Kankuro, although that was probably because he had a rather small family.

Tenten laughed seeing Sakura's expression. "Don't worry about it," she reassured the pink-hired girl. "I didn't know these things either before becoming friends with these guys. You'll get used to it."

Sakura nodded once more in a daze, her mind still aching from the previous night. She really needed a shower and something to settle her stomach. Her mom would kill her if she found out she'd been drinking all night.

******..~**~..******

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><p><strong><strong><strong>..~**~..<strong>****

The weekend was rather uneventful for Sakura. She spent most of it sleeping off her hangover and then either doing homework or chatting with her friends on the phone. Sunday afternoon was spent at Ino's with Tenten rehearsing the dance routine in order to get it perfect and Sakura was glad she could flow through the steps a lot quicker and with more confidence than before. Deidara showed up at one point allowing Tenten and Sakura to thank him for the awesome night out before Ino got annoyed with his flirtatious attitude and literally pushed him out of the pool house.

By Monday, Sakura felt refreshed again although the thought of Friday's game and the squad's upcoming performance in their cheerleader outfits caused her stomach to do flip flops.

The junior hall was buzzing with rumours about everyone's weekends and Sakura laughed at the ridiculous rumours that floated around concerning the squad's night out. A brunette, who Sakura had never seen before, claimed that the squad had ended up being arrested for underage drinking, whilst another claimed the guys had been in a fight at the nightclub.

Sakura also heard another piece of gossip about Sasuke and had snorted rather loudly when she had heard an upset group of fangirls discussing it by her locker. Apparently someone had spread the rumour that Sasuke was gay over the weekend and somehow, by the end of first period, the whole school was talking about it.

Sakura found the whole thing hilarious but judging from the murderous look on Sasuke's face during Maths class, she suddenly felt sorry for the poor bastard who had spread the rumour if Sasuke ever found him.

Biology with Ryo was once again fun and Sakura spent most of the hour taking notes whilst telling him what had really happened on Friday night. He, in turn, told her about his team's first swim competition that weekend and how they had smashed Iwa High.

"You should come watch our next match in a couple of weeks," Ryo offered as the bell rang.

"I'd love to," Sakura answered with a smile, trying to hide the excitement bubbling up inside of her.

Her Inner was already drooling all over a version of Ryo wearing nothing but swim shorts.

The tanned swimmer walked with her to lunch before he left to sit at his team's table. Thankfully, the basketball team was nowhere to be found as Sakura wasn't sure how Naruto would react to seeing her hang around with "one of the swim team jerks". She joined Ino and Hinata in the lunch queue and the girls were quickly joined by Tenten as they sat down to eat.

"Where are the guys?" Sakura asked astounded by the fact that Naruto was skipping lunch.

"They have some meeting with Gai-sensei about the upcoming game on Friday," Tenten answered in a bored tone. "Looks like it will be just us ladies."

"Did you guys hear about all the gossip concerning Friday night?" Ino asked excitedly, digging into her food.

"Screw that, did you guys hear the rumour concerning Sasuke?" Tenten cut in, waving her sandwich around "It's crazy! Everyone's suddenly convinced that he's gay!"

"Poor Sasuke," Hinata added, looking genuinely sorry.

"What the hell is wrong with the girls in this school?" Ino asked out loud, looking around the cafeteria. "How can they all suddenly believe that he's gay?"

"I guess they heard it from a reliable source," Tenten added, unable to come up with any other explanation.

Sakura grinned in turn. "Maybe it was Naruto!"

The girls laughed at the idea but then quickly realised the blonde idiot would already be dead it he had been the culprit.

Then Okyo and Kaori appeared, greeting them quickly, before sitting down to eat with them.

"So girls, ready for today's practice?" Okyo asked them with a large smile.

"Are you here to bribe us for votes, Okyo-chan?" Tenten asked in a teasing voice.

"How about you buy us a muffin and we'll be sure to vote for you," Ino continued, an evil glint in her eyes.

Beside her, Kaori giggled. "You sure you want a muffin, Ino-chan? We can barely lift you up as it is."

Hinata immediately froze in her seat as Tenten groaned slightly.

"Did you just call me _fat_?" Ino suddenly shrieked, turning angrily to face Kaori, who seemed shocked by Ino's violent reaction.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ino, settle down," she told her friend, trying to diffuse the bomb. "Kaori was only joking, right?" She looked across at Kaori, who nodded quickly, a nervous smile on her lips. "Okyo, no need to worry, we'll all voting for you as team captain. Friday night was your idea after all and it was awesome."

Tenten and Hinata nodded in agreement as Ino continued to mutter insults at Kaori under her breath.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it girls and I won't let you down," Okyo told them, a sincere smile on her face. "Anyway that's not the only reason why we're here. Sakura, is it true about Sasuke? Is he really gay? Everyone's been talking about it non-stop this morning and I wanted to know for sure myself."

Ino stopped talking as Sakura slowly turned to face Okyo.

"Okyo, why are you asking Sakura about Sasuke?" Tenten asked confused.

The girls looked intently at the seniors, clearly confused.

"Because Chiaki said she heard it from Sakura," Okyo replied casually.

Sakura felt her heart rate suddenly speed up.

"That's what you told the rest of the squad Friday night, at Amnesia."

All eyes turned to face Sakura, who looked utterly surprised.

"Don't you remember?"

_What the hell is talking about?_ Sakura thought desperately, although Okyo's words seemed to stir something within her. Her mind raced through her memories of Friday night. The loud music, the bright lights, the dance floor, Tenten and that guy, the guys showing up, her confession to Naruto, the girls talking about Sasuke… annoying her and then that sudden idea.

That sudden lie!

Her mouth sagged open in shock as her eyes went wide.

"Sakura, is it true?" she heard Ino ask as they all looked at her in surprise.

_Holy shit, I'm sooo dead!_

She shot up from her seat, snatching her school bag from the ground.

"Hey wait, Sakura, where are you going?" Tenten asked beside her.

"I have to go," Sakura answered hurriedly, scrambling from her seat. "I have to find Sasuke!"

Leaving her confused friends behind, she ran out of the cafeteria, heading for the halls where she hoped she could find Sasuke before he bell rang.

_Why? Why the hell did I say that? I'm such an idiot! He's going to kill me!_

Sasuke was bound to hate her even more now. She had started the damn rumour, she had spread that awful lie that everyone was talking about now. Sasuke was furious and he had every right to be. Rumour and gossip in high school could make or break a person's reputation. She had experienced it first hand in Suna. How could she ever inflict that on another person?

She felt so angry with herself that she almost slammed her fist in the lockers as she reached the junior hall and still saw no sign of the Uchiha. Not giving up yet, she sprinted towards the basketball court on the other side of school, rushing past students lazily walking about as lunch break wasn't over yet. Losing her way she rushed past an empty corridor, stopping to see a senior, Sakura recognised from the swim team, talking in hushed tones with a girl. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders affectionately and the gesture suddenly made her remember Friday night outside the club with Naruto.

Recognising that she was intruding on an intimate moment, Sakura rushed past the couple but not before realising that someone had also intruded on her private conversation with Naruto… namely Sasuke.

_So that's why I was so mad! _Sakura understood, remembering how furious and embarrassed she'd been when she'd found out Sasuke had eavesdropped on their conversation. That would explain why she had said such an outrageous thing about him to the girls afterwards Although she probably would have kept her stupid mouth shut if she hadn't been so drunk!

Sakura sighed, putting a hand up to her head. What a mess! She had told a blatant lie about a guy who already disliked her as a joke except the squad apparently believed her and now everyone knew.

_This is exactly the type of crap that happened to __**me**__ in Suna. Why would I do that to someone else? I should apologise before it's too late._

Sakura was so lost in thought that she barely noticed the shadow catching up behind her or the strong hand that grasped her upper arm.

"Hey -!"

She was pushed forward suddenly and before she knew what was happening she stumbled towards the closest door, leading her outside on a stairwell. She immediately recognised it as the emergency stairwell forbidden to students.

The hand abruptly released Sakura and she reeled around to face her attacker –

– meeting Uchiha Sasuke's intense glare.

_Shit._

He took a step forward and she immediately took a step back, her back hitting the cool exterior wall behind.

She was trapped.

The murderous look in his eyes knocked the breath out of her and she fought down her feelings of panic. He was furious as she knew he would be, but still… dragging her out into the stairwell and then pinning her up against the wall with his cold stare as if she was some criminal… just who the hell did he think he was?

She had been ready to apologise to him if he had approached her like a normal person but bullying her around instead was crossing a line.

As if to prove her point, Sakura started massaging the abused skin of her arm and raised her chin defiantly.

"Can I help you?" she finally asked when the Uchiha made no move to speak. She refused to show any weakness before him. If he thought she could just push her around like this, he had another thing coming.

"You started the rumour," he spoke, his voice low and fierce and sending shivers down her spine, making it clear that she had better explain herself to him. And fast.

"Yeah I did," Sakura admitted with a sly smile. "And you're welcome."

Her words took him aback before anger emerged again.

"You're _welcome_?" he hissed.

_What the hell? Do you have a death wish?_ Inner Sakura suddenly yelled loudly in the back of her mind at the sound of Sasuke's voice. _Why the fuck are we taunting him?_

Sakura ignored her, however, and merely answered. "I got rid of your fangirls for you, didn't I? Isn't that what you wanted?"

He gave her an annoyed look and leaned closer to her, his raven bangs falling into his eyes. "Sakura…"

The way he growled her name sent more shivers down her back, although these had nothing to do with fear.

The sudden close proximity between them made her squirm uncomfortably, making her forget her resolve. She noted he was looking particularly good dressed in black cargo pants, a white wife beater and open high-collared navy shirt and when his strong masculine scent hit her nose, she immediately recognised the well-known men's fragrance that made her weak in the knees.

God, how was she supposed to even think when he was standing so close to her and looking at her like that?

"Alright, I'm sorry," Sakura blurted out before she could stop herself, looking anywhere but at his penetrating stare. "I was drunk and the girls wouldn't shut up about you, so I told them you were gay. It just kinda slipped out but I never thought they'd actually believe it! I really am sorry but it was also your fault for making me angry in the first place!"

Her eyes flicked tentatively back to his face and noticed the anger was gone leaving a slightly pissed expression instead.

"Explain."

"I saw you listening in on my conversation with Naruto outside the club," she began, trying to keep her voice strong. "It was pretty private and you were totally eavesdropping on us, don't bother denying it."

"Hn."

His flippant attitude was starting to irritate her. "Is that all you have to say?"

He ignored her question. "How are you going to fix it?"

"Fix what?" Sakura snapped, feeling her anger rising again.

Sasuke stared her down.

_Oh right, the rumour…_

"Well isn't that the easy part?" she said, lifting a brow at him. "Just go make-out with one of your fangirls Friday after the game and the whole school will know you're straight."

As soon as Sakura finished, she nearly yelped in surprise as Sasuke leaned even closer and rested his hands against the wall.

On either side of her head.

His dark eyes were set on her firmly, holding her gaze and preventing her to look anywhere else.

"No."

Sakura's heart was beating so loudly, she was sure he would hear it.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

He paused, cocking his head to one side before adding. "Not a fangirl… just you."

Sakura felt her eyes go wide. "_What?_"

She was even more surprised by his expression. The arrogant bastard was actually smirking at her! "You got me into this mess; you're getting me out of it."

His voice low and husky was sending shivers down her back again.

"You want _me_ to _kiss_ you?" Sakura finally managed to let out, hating the way her voice suddenly sounded weird. She silently prayed she wasn't blushing as well.

"Hn."

"In front of the whole school?" She tried not to sound as panicked as she felt.

She swore she could see a glint of amusement behind those pitch black eyes. "After the game, at the party."

She paused, thinking at least at a party less people would be around and alcohol would certainly be involved. Kissing him in front of the whole school in that large gymnasium would have been impossible, no matter how much he glared at her.

_Still, having to kiss him… in front of all my friends… in front of Naruto…_

"I don't know if that's a good idea –" she stopped when she abruptly felt his fingers caressing the side of her face. They stopped underneath her chin, tilting it upwards and forcing her to look at him once more.

The warmth of his hand sent a soft tingling throughout her body.

"If you're really sorry, then prove it."

His eyes flicked back and forth as he scanned her face, obviously challenging her to play his game. And for some unknown reason, Sakura was foolish enough to accept.

She blamed her stupid pride.

"Fine."

Instantly, his hand was dropped and he pushed himself off the wall, taking a step back. Sakura felt as if she could breathe again.

"No one can know," Sasuke added over his shoulder as he headed for the door. "And make it good. The last thing I need is for you to fuck up… again."

For a few seconds, Sakura was rendered speechless before she screamed in frustration, cursing loudly at him on the exterior staircase by herself.

******..~**~..******

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><p><strong><strong><strong>..~**~..<strong>****

Sakura made her way to her History class in a daze.

_What the hell did I just get myself into?_

However, she barely had any time to herself before Ino jumped on her and demanded to know all the details of what had happened with Sasuke. Apparently Naruto had told them that the Uchiha had been looking for her too after hearing that she had started the rumour and Ino had rightly assumed that he had found her.

Thankfully the bell rang, saving her from answering her blonde friend's incessant questioning.

"Don't think you're off the hook yet, Sakura," Ino warned her as she walked off to another class. "I'll get you during Gym."

History with Kiba was pretty fun and the cute Inuzuka had outright declared she was "officially the most awesome chick" he knew for spreading the rumour about Sasuke in the first place.

Then he had shifted the conversation to Friday's upcoming game against Tani and Sakura felt the colour drain from her face.

Friday was turning out to be the most dreaded day of her life. Not only was it her first performance with the squad in front of the entire auditorium…. It was now also the day she'd have to follow through her bet with the Uchiha.

_That's it, I'm going to get wasted Friday night and maybe, if the gods allow it, I'll end up throwing up on him instead!_ She thought gleefully to herself, although she knew she'd rarely ever been sick from alcohol before.

Seeing Sasuke's face again in English class was hell.

The arrogant bastard ignored her completely, looking straight ahead at Kakashi the whole time even though under the table she kept feeling his leg casually brush up against hers all through class. Everytime he did, she'd either jump on the seat or shift uncomfortably and when she finally turned to face him in anger, he merely raised an eyebrow in demand, causing her to get all flustered and look away.

He had successfully managed turning her into a jittery, blubbering idiot and she couldn't even help herself since their previous encounter kept replaying in her mind.

Every small detail was still painfully vivid. His face, his scent, his hair.

The way his obsidian eyes seemed to stare right through her.

The way his fingers traced the contour of her face.

_God, what is wrong with me?_ Sakura thought, resting her head in her hand as she barely listened to Kakashi-sensei talking at the front of the class. _I shouldn't be letting him affect me like this!_

However, it was all her fault after all. She had unwittingly provoked the Uchiha first with the rumour and now he was going to make damned sure she'd regret it. And probably find some way to humiliate her Friday night with the kiss.

By the time cheerleading practice began, Sakura was exhausted. Between ignoring Sasuke, explaining everything to the girls (minus the deal) and reassuring Naruto every five minutes that she was fine, whilst pretending to play badminton, she thought she deserved some kind of medal.

Of course, practice was even worse as Yuugao-sensei pushed them even harder the whole time, running through the first half of the routine several times before teaching them the rest.

The second half of the routine was even trickier as the girls were split up in several groups between dancing and tumbling. Sakura found herself having a complicated tumbling sequence but was glad to know Yuugao-sensei was making use of her skills. She certainly didn't envy Tenten and Kagura showcased upfront, doing some freestyle dance moves during the bridge part of the song. They were then switched with Ino and Chiaki who added more sensual dance moves during Fergie's part. Sakura tried to keep up with it all but she was having a hard time catching her breath after all the tumbling.

And that's when their coach decided to add a final round of stunts to end the routine.

"Girls, for this last bit, I want to go all out even though we haven't learned many stunts yet," Yuugao-sensei explained as she adjusted the routine so each foursome would naturally stand next to each other by the end of the bridge. "I want to see a succession of full-up and liberty cradles and we might even add in a scorpion if you can nail it before the end of the week."

Sakura sighed at her coach's words. The woman was relentless. Tenten and Hinata smiled encouragingly at their pink-haired friend as Kagura laughed at the pained expression on her face.

"Come on, we can do this, Sakura," Tenten tried to motivate her as she stood behind. "Friday is going to kick ass!"

_Friday is going to suck balls!_ Sakura thought to herself, but complied none the less and got into position.

******..~**~..******

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><p>An hour later, practice was over and Yuugao-sensei gathered the girls around her as the squad captainship was put to vote. Naturally Okyo won, hands down. Nanako didn't seem to mind at all, whereas Chiaki looked rather upset.<p>

Sakura was glad Okyo got the position and was ready to change and finally head home, but before she left there was still something she knew she had to do.

Rapidly changing back in her jeans and white jersey T-shirt, she made her way towards the seniors, who were chatting loudly as they took their time to change.

"Hey, I need to tell you guys something," Sakura spoke up, effectively silencing them as they turned to face her.

"Is this about the rumour concerning Sasuke?" Okyo asked, neatly folding her cheer uniform.

"Yeah, um… about that," Sakura began, unsure how they would react to the truth. "He's not really gay. I lied back in the club. I was drunk and I was angry with him about something and just started saying drunken things I guess. It was supposed to be a joke… I didn't think you guys would actually believe me and I certainly didn't think the rumour would spread through the whole school like that. Anyway, I'm really sorry about the whole thing and I just wanted you guys to know the truth."

She had spotted Ino, Tenten and Hinata standing up ahead by the door, no doubt waiting for her and also wanting to be supportive.

It was a new thing for Sakura to have girl friends she could actually count on and once again she felt lucky to have found such awesome friends. She just hoped the seniors wouldn't bite her head off for essentially lying to them.

Kagura rolled her eyes at her before picking up her shoulder bag. "Jeez, no need to fret so much Sak. Seeing how drunk you were, I didn't really believe it in the first place."

Kaori and Okyo merely smiled at her in turn but Chiaki and Matsumi, however, didn't seem so forgiving.

"You didn't think calling _Uchiha_ _Sasuke_ gay would be such a big deal?" Chiaki exclaimed, slamming her locker shut in frustration. "Seriously, just how much of an idiot are you?"

"Chiaki..." Okyo whispered in surprise as Matsumi remained silent, watching Sakura closely, a frown on her face.

"You think you can just easily mess around with an Uchiha?" Chiaki continued to rant, casting an icy glance towards Sakura. "Don't you know anything about Konoha and its clans? Did you seriously think Inuzuka Kouta would not warn Kiba about our presence in the club? Just how dumb are you?"

A deep sense of failure began to envelop Sakura as Chiaki's words hit their target. Hearing one of the prettiest girls in school basically calling her a noob was already embarrassing and hurtful, but knowing the whole cheer squad had heard it too just made it worse.

"I didn't know about Kouta," Sakura tried to explain, realising she really had no excuse apart the fact that she was drunk.

Chiaki merely scowled in return.

"Things were different in Suna," Sakura painfully elaborated. "Clans are much smaller there -"

"It doesn't excuse your behaviour," Chiaki cut her off coldly, looking at her in disdain. "These things are common knowledge here in Konoha High, but I guess the school's level really is slipping if they're starting to let in poor, worthless, outsiders like you."

_Are you really going to let her talk to you like that?_ Inner Sakura yelled in the back of her mind but Sakura was frozen on the spot. Something about this whole situation reminded her of her last days at Suna High.

_You're just worthless trash... you cheap slut… scum like you shouldn't be allowed in our school…_

"Chiaki, that's enough," Ino intervened, standing by Sakura's side and looking angry. "Shut the fuck up before I make you."

Sakura watched on stunned as the blond defended her.

"You shouldn't talk about Sakura that way," a small voice spoke up from Sakura's other side and she was surprised to see Hinata standing there with Tenten, who glared at the senior.

Chiaki frowned slightly at the juniors before gathering her belongings quickly. "Whatever," she muttered, packing up her bag. "I don't know why the guys still allow her around. I'm surprised Sasuke hasn't made her life a living hell yet, but I'm sure if he doesn't, then his fangirls probably will when they find out what she did."

Flicking her long wavy black hair over her shoulder, Chiaki grabbed her bag tightly and walked out of the changing rooms, a grim smile on her red lips.

"Forget Chiaki, she's just mad I got captainship," Okyo spoke up, effectively breaking the awkward silence.

"She's just being a snobby bitch," Ino exclaimed before turning to face Sakura. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Sakura merely stared at her unsure how to respond.

_Because what she said is true. I fucked up when talking to Kouta because I don't know anything about Konoha's clans._

_But you could have told her about Tsunade! _Inner Sakura retorted angrily. _You could have shut that bitch up by telling her your aunt is the Hokage instead of letting her insult you!_

However, her Inner's reasoning seemed petty and unappealing even though there was a time Sakura would have given anything to be able to say that.

"I guess it was probably best to just let her rant, right?" Sakura finished lamely, gripping her shoulder bag tightly.

The seniors quickly said their goodbyes and Sakura followed her friends out and down the halls towards the entrance. Naruto was supposed to take her home but he still hadn't come out by the time they reached the school car park.

"See you tomorrow, Sakura," Ino said, waving briefly as she headed for her car. Hinata had already run off to the car waiting for her.

Sakura waved back as Tenten approached her.

"I know how you feel," she told the pinkette, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "But don't let that bitch get to you. Besides you're our friend now and we won't let her treat you like that. And the guys certainly won't either."

Sakura nodded, giving her friend a quick smile before she left. Naruto arrived briefly after and she followed him to his orange car, all smiles and banter, although inside all she wanted was to curl up in a ball and cry.

******..~**~..******

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><p><strong>Yep, things might get a little ugly for Sakura in the next chapter... you'll also learn a bit more about what happened in Suna. <strong>

**For chapter updates, be sure to check my profile. I also have a little request to ask from my wonderful readers... last chapter I had a ton of people favourite or follow the fic (which is awesome) and I would be ever so grateful if you could also leave a review. Tell me what you like or don't like, for example. And what did you think of Sasuke? **

**So please review! Thank you so much :)))**


	12. Whispers and stares

**Author's notes: Yes, I know it took a while, but I was busy writing "Whole Again" which you should all go check out (shameless plug!) As promised in my profile, I uploaded today :) If you're wondering about future updates, check my profile. I try to update once a week to keep you all informed. Anyway here's chapter 12, o****ver 7,000 words and a little more angsty than usual...**

**Thank you all for your amazing reviews and pushing me forward with this fic. This chapter is dedicated to hellothreeheads my 160th reviewer! :) **

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

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><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

It all started the very next day.

Sakura was dropped off at school by her mother and immediately felt nervous. She began walking towards the main entrance and a familiar gut-twisting sensation slowly overtook her. She hadn't felt that way since she had left Suna High where her last month there had been spent in constant fear, pain and complete and utter misery.

Chiaki's last words about Sasuke's fan girls going after her kept replaying in her mind as Sakura walked on and she suddenly feared the worst. What if things played out like they had back in Suna? If things got ugly, what would she do then?

_Don't think about it! There's no need to stress over it now, nothing's going to happen._

But as Sakura approached the school, several students stopped and turned to stare at her as she walked past, whispering behind her back. A rush of panic swept through her and she tried her best to remain calm and reach the usual morning bench. However, once she got there, her friends were nowhere to be found.

_Shit__!_

Refusing to hang around and wait as the unfriendly stares continued, Sakura walked up the steps and entered the school, deciding to wait for her friends in homeroom instead. Making her way through the crowded entrance, she turned sharply down the junior hall and noticed a small crowd gathered ahead in the middle of the hallway.

Then she spotted her locker and stopped dead in her tracks.

Someone had spray painted 'LIAR' in angry, thick red letters across her locker. The crowd noticed Sakura approaching and all turned to face her.

_Well at least they held back and didn't write 'SLUT' unlike those bitches in Suna,_ her Inner painfully reminded her.

Sakura noticed the hall had gone eerily quiet as she slowly made her way to her locker, all eyes on her, as they awaited her reaction. The unfriendly crowd seemed to expect her to break down and cry. However, Sakura merely took a deep breath before steeling her nerves and shoving her insecurities to the back of her mind. There was no way in hell she would let this affect her. She wasn't so weak anymore and if she could endure the hell Suna High had put her through, she could damn well endure anything Konoha threw her way.

Standing in front of the vandalised locker, Sakura ignored the spray paint on the front and opened it. However, she promptly jumped back as a cascade of blue liquid leaked out, hitting the floor along with half her school notes. They were completely soaked in the blue drink spilled inside on purpose.

A raspberry flavoured slushie.

_Damn, I should have seen that coming_, Sakura thought before she was interrupted by high-pitched giggling and squeals. She quickly turned around to see Karin along with Ami and her friends standing across the hallway.

_Breathe, Sakura, remember to breathe. _

"Fucking hilarious," she deadpanned, glaring at Karin. What the hell was the red-head doing? Weren't they in the same bloody cheerleading squad? Hadn't she made it clear the other day that it was best that they get along?

"Relax, Pinky," Karin sneered in return. "Can't you take a joke?"

"Don't call me that," Sakura warned her, her hands curling into fists at the sound of the stupid nickname she hated so much.

A cruel smirk graced Karin's lips in return. "What? Should I call you Forehead girl instead?"

Sakura froze at her words. _No, she couldn't… there was no way –_

"What? Did you think we wouldn't find out?" Ami continued, feasting on Sakura's reaction. "I had a very informative chat recently with a friend from Suna High. I wonder if your new friends know what people thought of you there. Do they know about your old life in Suna?"

Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"Does Naruto-kun know?"

A wave of anger overtook Sakura at Naruto's name and she suddenly felt the urge to close the distance between them and hit the dark-haired bitch in the face. Unfortunately, she was interrupted as someone appeared from among the crowd and wrapped an arm around Karin's shoulders.

It was the red-head's boyfriend, whose name Sakura recently found out was Suigetsu.

"Hey babe, everything alright here?" he asked in a serious voice, his sharp purple eyes staring Sakura down.

A threatening aura surrounded the tall, lean-built swimmer and Sakura quickly realised it was probably in her best interest not to threaten either girl in front of him.

_Fuck, now what do I do?_

"Sakura!"

At the sound of her name, Sakura turned to see Ino and Tenten heading towards her, students quickly letting them through to stand by her side. Although Sakura wouldn't admit it out loud, she felt a lot better seeing her friends show up.

"Holy shit, what the hell happened to your locker?" Ino exclaimed, catching sight of the blue mess dripping to the floor before turning to the two culprits standing across the hallway. "Karin, Ami, what the hell is your problem?"

Karin merely shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about; we had nothing to do with it."

Tenten snorted in disbelief as Ino glared in return. "Like hell you didn't!"

The blonde took a step forward as Suigetsu pushed past Karin, his stance threatening. Excitement shone through his purple eyes and Sakura could tell the swimmer was itching for a fight.

"You got a problem with my girl, Yamanaka?" he taunted.

Ino didn't seem intimidated at all, although she kept her distance. "If you mean that cheating skank, then yes – I do."

The crowd around them oohed as Suigetsu, looking positively murderous, stepped closer. "What did you just say?"

"Ino…" she heard Tenten mutter anxiously beside her, but the blonde girl ignored her.

"I said 'cheating skank' – you dolt!" she repeated, hands on her hips. "Don't you even know why Sasuke dumped her ass? Perhaps you should get your facts right before you introduce her to your older brother."

Sakura felt her breath hitch as Suigetsu leapt forwards, his hand reaching out to grab Ino.

Almost instantly, another strong hand snatched Suigetsu's wrist before he could touch her.

Shikamaru suddenly stood between them, the usual bored expression on his face replaced by a serious one.

"Don't even think about it," he warned Suigetsu in a cool voice. It all happened so quickly Sakura could only stare in shock. _Where the hell did he come from?_

Suigetsu snatched his hand away quickly, glaring at the newcomer. Shikamaru stood his ground and Sakura had a really bad feeling about what would happen next. If any more guys from either team showed up, things were bound to get ugly.

Fortunately, the first bell rang, jolting everyone back to reality and Suigetsu threw them all a cold look before turning on his heel and heading down the hallway, Karin and Ami in tow. Ino's surprised expression was instantly replaced by an angry one as she rounded on Shikamaru, who was staring in turn at Sakura's locker.

"What the hell was that, Shika?" she exclaimed, waving her arms about. "Who gave you permission to jump in like that? I was perfectly fine!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly at her outburst before he shook his head. "Troublesome woman."

Ino rolled her eyes at him. "What are you even doing here?"

"My locker's right beside Sakura's," he explained before opening said locker. "I was just coming to get my books for class. Is that alright with you, Ino?"

He tugged his locker open a little more forcefully than necessary, his eyes still on the blonde.

Tenten looked as if she wanted to intervene but quickly thought better of it.

Sakura merely stared at the state of her locker, kneeling down before the slushie puddle with strewn notes, wondering if anything was salvageable.

"Sakura-chan!" a voice spoke up behind her and she looked up to find Naruto staring in shock at her locker. Before she could stop him, he stepped forward, carefully avoiding the puddle and took a closer look inside, taking note of the tipped slushie cup and her stained notepad and books. Then his hand flipped the door around, revealing the red spray paint on the front.

Sakura noticed his knuckles turn white.

_Crap._

That was the last thing Sakura needed. Naruto finding out would only complicate matters. He might be her best friend but when it came to protecting her, he could be rash, stubborn and sometimes just plain stupid.

That was one of the reasons why she had never told him the whole truth about Suna.

She had been too scared of what his reaction might be.

"Sakura," Naruto spoke again, his voice softer than usual. Ino and Shikamaru had stopped arguing beside them and along with Tenten, all three were staring at the giant spray painted 'LIAR'.

_I guess they hadn't noticed it before_, Sakura thought dryly as she watched an angry-looking Naruto turn to face her.

"Who the fuck did this?"

Sakura breathed a heavy sigh in response. "I don't know."

"Karin and that bitch Ami," Ino piped up, standing next to her.

"Ino…" Tenten told her off, irritation in her voice.

"We don't know for sure," Sakura retorted, trying to diffuse the situation before Naruto ran off to make things worse. The whole thing was her problem after all and she would handle it.

"Don't know for sure? Who are you kidding, Sakura? They were standing right here gloating about it when Tenten and I came to find you," Ino continued, looking at the pinkette incredulously.

"Okay, whatever, it doesn't matter," Sakura said dismissively, trying to push past Naruto to reach her locker hoping her friends would drop the subject, but of course the blond stopped her before she could.

"Doesn't matter?" he echoed, clearly confused by her behaviour.

"Sakura, you have to stop this now or they'll keep at it," Ino explained, watching her closely.

"I'll take care of it," Sakura replied curtly. She'd had more than enough experience of these things in Suna – she could take care of herself.

"Really?" Ino stated sharply, hands on her hips again. "Because when Ami banged up your hand, I didn't see you take care of it at all!"

"Ino, shut up!" Tenten hissed, as Naruto looked at Sakura once more. She noted the sudden tension in his jaw.

"What is she talking about?" he demanded, his hand grasping her shoulder lightly.

Sakura threw Ino a dark look before facing Naruto. "Nothing," she reassured him, trying to wriggle out from his grip. "It's not important."

He only held on tighter. "Sakura, why won't you tell me?"

"Because you'll overreact!" she snapped at him, fed up with all the questions. "It's just a stupid locker and a stupid slushie so stop freaking out!"

Naruto's mouth snapped shut, but Sakura could still see the lingering question in his eyes.

_Why? Why are you being like this?_

And the answer was simple; because compared to everything that had happened to her in Suna, this really was _nothing_. So if Naruto was freaking out over a vandalised locker then there was no way she could ever tell him about her sophomore year. It wasn't right keeping things like that from him and he would certainly take it the wrong way if he eventually found out - especially if Karin and Ami went blabbing to him about what they knew – but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Besides she didn't especially want to start her junior year telling everyone about her sad sob story. It was all in the past now anyway and so she chose to ignore the way Naruto and her new friends were all staring at her.

"I'm the one that fucked up in the first place," she explained to them, trying to remain calm. "So if all of Sasuke's fangirls want to come after me, then that's fine. I can deal with it while it lasts. And if I have to, I'll find a way to get even with Karin and Ami."

Naruto looked as though he wanted to add something, but another imposing voice spoke up instead.

"The second bell just rang. Why are you all still lingering out here for?"

Kakashi-sensei stood behind them, standing slouched with his hands in his pockets. His eyes travelled to the row of lockers, noticing the state of Sakura's with a calculating gaze.

"All of you, head to class," he ordered before his eyes flicked to the pinkette. "Sakura, stay behind."

Sakura instantly scowled.

_Awesome._

She watched as her friends walked away down the hall, Naruto giving one last glance before disappearing from sight. She remained still, unsure of what Kakashi would say.

If she were still in Suna High, she'd know exactly how her conversation with him would go. Being the school's number one target with no clan protection, every incident was automatically her fault regardless of the state the teachers found her belongings, her clothes or her face. In the eyes of Suna High, Sakura was merely seeking attention and looking for trouble on purpose. And she would be punished for it every time.

However, that was all in the past now and Konoha was different. Or so she hoped.

Nonetheless, when Kakashi approached her, Sakura couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.

"Sakura," he spoke up after a moment, staring down at her. "Do you know who did this?"

She shook her head, fidgeting with her shoulder bag. He remained silent, expecting her to elaborate with words, and when she didn't, she felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder.

She finally turned to face him and noticed the reassuring look in his dark eyes.

"Why don't you salvage what you can before heading to class. I'm going to find the janitor and make sure your locker is cleaned by the end of the day. Do you think you can share someone else's in the meantime?"

Sakura stared back at him, startled by his reaction.

_Wow, Kakashi-sensei isn't just a perverted teacher, he's actually nice!_

"Um – yeah, sure, I'll ask Naruto or Ino," she answered quickly before kneeling down once more in front of the slushie puddle and beginning to scrape up her notes from the sticky mess.

**..~**~..**

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><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sasuke was late for school and it was all Itachi's damn fault. His older brother had sent his car to the garage without consulting Sasuke before and had refused to lend him one of the numerous Uchiha cars instead. Itachi had then insisted on taking him to school himself, which Sasuke had promptly refused but since Naruto hadn't picked up his phone, the younger Uchiha had had no choice.

Thus he was late and already pissed off. Although when he entered his class, he was surprised to see that Kakashi still hadn't turned up.

Quickly making his way to the back of the class, he slunk down beside Naruto.

"Dobe, next time pick up your phone," he growled, ignoring the not-so-subtle looks he was receiving from a couple of girls sitting up front.

It seemed the rumour about him being gay had died pretty quickly after all.

He was surprised, however, when his idiot best friend barely looked up from his open notebook to greet him. The usual goofy grin on his face had been replaced by a sour expression.

"Sasuke," Kiba greeted him along with Neji, sitting in front of them. "Seems like you missed all the action this morning."

Shikamaru then showed up beside them, explaining what had happened exactly in the hallway.

Sasuke wasn't surprised to hear that Sakura's locker had been vandalised. After all, she had started the rumour and it was only a matter of time before his fucking fangirls made her pay. As if he couldn't take care of his own problems.

However, he was more surprised to hear about Ami's involvement – especially since he had warned her to stay away. Perhaps he hadn't been clear enough…

The classroom door suddenly opened and Sakura arrived along with Kakashi, who gave them all a stern look as he saw them slacking off. Shikamaru returned to his seat and Sasuke watched as Sakura's gaze lingered on Naruto before sitting down next to Ino.

"Ignore Naruto," Kiba added in a whisper, "He's just pissed 'cause no one told him about Ami targeting Sakura last week."

"Fuck off, Kiba!" Naruto warned him, looking up from his homework. "You guys should have told me."

"Sakura didn't want you to know," Neji informed him, looking over his shoulder.

"Did you know about this?" Naruto asked, turning to face Sasuke.

The Uchiha hesitated before nodding once.

"Teme, you can't keep this shit from me!" Naruto ranted, struggling to keep his voice down. "I don't want her getting hurt and I also promised Tsunade baa-chan that I'd look out for her."

"Relax, Naruto," Kiba answered, not even bothering to pretend to be studying. "Sakura's from Suna after all, right? I'm sure she's more than capable of dealing with Karin and Ami. Besides the girls have her back."

Sasuke noticed his words did nothing to appease the blond idiot, who looked worriedly over at the pink-haired girl.

"Although," Kiba added as an afterthought, "if Uchiha actually bothered dealing with his fangirls in the first place instead of stringing them on, there wouldn't be a problem."

"Shut it," Sasuke growled. It wasn't his fault the annoying girls wouldn't leave him alone no matter how many harsh words or glares he sent their way. Besides what else was he supposed to do? Bang them like Kiba and Shikamaru did? He might be a player but Sasuke knew better than sleeping around with girls from KHS. His fangirls would never leave him alone if he did; they'd all think they actually had a chance.

"Do me a favour and keep an eye on Sakura from now on," Naruto asked them all. Kiba and Neji glanced at Sasuke, who nodded silently, before Kiba answered.

"Sure thing."

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><p>Sasuke's mood didn't improve throughout the rest of the morning. It seemed everywhere he went all anyone talked about was the damn rumour about his sexuality (which apparently hadn't fucking died yet as it should have) and Sakura's vandalised locker. Not only that but it seemed all his fangirls had allied themselves against Sakura because they'd somehow found out that she had started the damn rumour and had decided to make her pay. Everywhere the pinkette went, stares and whispers followed and even though her friends stuck by her side everywhere she went, Sasuke could tell the girl was still stressed out.<p>

On first glance Sakura looked rather indifferent to the whole thing. She talked and smiled at her friends like the stares and the rumours were nothing to be concerned about, but when Sasuke looked closer, he noticed that when she wasn't talking, she seemed lost in her thoughts or she was frowning and that her smiles were forced.

Sasuke didn't like this side of her. He much rather preferred her bright smile, the one she exclusively gave Naruto when she greeted him and that seemed to illuminate everything around her. Or the typical, warm smile she gave to her friends and which matched her upbeat personality and unique hair. Sasuke had never been on the receiving end of those smiles – although he'd seen her give them once or twice to Kiba and Shikamaru. The Uchiha briefly wondered if one day she'd ever smile like that for him before he caught himself.

What the fuck was he thinking? Why the hell should he care about one annoying girl smiling at him when he could have any girl he wanted?

He shouldn't think about her that way. He shouldn't think about any girl that way - not when the last girl he had cared about had screwed him over so fucking badly. Who cared about Sakura's smile when he had so easily manipulated her into making out with him? And if things turned out well at the party, maybe they'd find a room together without anyone noticing and then he'd make sure she'd smile for him as well.

By lunchtime, all the talk concerning Sakura annoyed Sasuke to no end and his mood turned even darker. When he and Naruto sat down to eat with their team, all the guys could talk about was the damn pink-haired girl. From what he could gather from the table conversation, the moment she'd walked to the cafeteria, the place had fallen awkwardly silent and so the girls had gone outside to eat lunch.

Of course, Naruto had immediately wanted to find them.

"Shit, where did they go?" he asked Kiba, already up on his feet.

Sasuke was about to tell him to calm down when surprisingly, Shikamaru beat him to it.

"Naruto, sit down," he drawled, watching the blond closely. "If you go after them now, you'll only make things worse."

Naruto froze, cursing under his breath, before he sat down again.

"I hate this," he said in low tones, glaring at nothing in particular.

"Dude, chill," Kiba told him, although his attention was on a blonde senior sitting close by. "By Friday, the fangirls will be too busy watching us play ball, they won't even remember Sakura's name."

"I hate to say it, but Kiba's right," Shikamaru continued, his head in his hand as if eating lunch was a drag. "Sakura's doing the right thing. She needs to keep a low profile and wait for the rumours to die down."

"But what about Ami?" Neji asked, his sharp eyes fixed on the dark-haired girl, sitting across the cafeteria with her friends. "She doesn't seem like the type to back down easily."

Neji's gaze flicked towards Sasuke, who grit his teeth. He didn't need to be reminded how his threats didn't seem to have affected the girl.

"Man, I can't believe you dated that," Kiba piped up, nodding his head in Ami's direction.

"I wouldn't call what we did dating," Shikamaru answered with a sly smile, which Sasuke and Naruto mirrored.

"Spare us the details," Kiba told him making a face before turning to face Naruto. "Anyway if push comes to shove, think Sakura can hold her own?"

Naruto's expression turned serious again as he thought through Kiba's question.

"I know she went through some bad stuff in her last months at Suna, but I don't know the details," he explained to them, catching Sasuke's attention. "She wouldn't tell me and neither would Baa-chan. She is no pushover but other than that I don't know."

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><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura sat in the furthest seat in the back of the class, near the window, waiting for class to begin.

She'd split from the girls after lunch to head to the library and photocopy all the notes her friends had lent her to replace her ruined ones.

Her day so far had been terrible. Ami and her friends had been downright nasty to her every chance they could get, most of the cheerleaders had blatantly ignored her when she'd greeted them and the rest of the school kept giving her cold, unfriendy looks.

_Great, just fucking great! _Sakura thought to herself as she sorted out all the notes strewn on her desk. _This is only my second week and already everyone hates me! I deserve some kind of trophy…_

The bell rang and Ino and Hinata along with the rest of her homeroom class arrived for Social Studies. Naruto, for some reason, decided to sit next to her, although he usually sat with the guys, but Sakura didn't comment and was slightly pleased for his light-talking and idiotic jokes after her crappy morning.

However, economics soon followed and Sakura relunctantly followed Tenten, Neji and Sasuke down the hall where she knew she wouldn't be sitting next to any of her friends.

As she walked in class, she cringed slightly when she saw Ami surrounded by her posse sitting in the back of the class.

_Awesome._

How could she forget Ami that also took this class?

Tenten gave her a reassuring smile as she left to sit next to Sasuke at the back of the class, while Sakura took her seat by the window. Her neighbour was Daijumi, who played for the soccer team and who never missed an opportunity to flirt with Ino every morning even though he supposedly had a girlfriend. He had been rather friendly to Sakura on her first week, however, it seemed now he preferred to ignore her.

Sakura didn't mind. She didn't particularly like Daijumi in the first place since he seemed to openly hate Kiba and Shikamaru for some reason and used every opportunity he had to piss them off.

Ami sat a couple of rows across from Sakura and as soon as class began, she kept turning her head to scowl at the pinkette. Sakura ignored her, staring outside or at the blackboard instead until she spotted a hastily folded piece of paper land on her desk.

One of Ami's friends sitting in front of Sakura had put it there. Sakura examined it for a while, silently arguing with herself whether to read it or not and before she knew it, her hands opened it.

"No one wants you here, Forehead girl!" it read.

_Lovely._

Sakura threw the note in her pencil case and focused on the blackboard again.

Within minutes, a second note landed on her desk. Sakura turned her head to face Ami, who smirked in return.

"Go back to Suna, slut!" the note read.

_How original._

Once again, Sakura threw the small paper in her case and ignored it, knowing the bitch was probably waiting for a reaction.

By the time a third piece of paper landed on her desk, Sakura knew full well the whole class was aware of the notes being sent her way. Instead of reading it, Sakura simply crushed it in the palm of her hand and checking to make sure the teacher had her back turned, she raised her forearm and flipped Ami off.

Sakura distinctly heard the other girl gasp and smiled to herself when the teacher then told Ami off for not paying attention.

"You shouldn't anger her like that," Daijumi stated under his breath, his eyes fixed on the board.

"Like I give a fuck," Sakura answered in kind as she resumed jotting down notes.

**..~**~..**

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><p>Cheer practice wasn't any better. By the time warm-up was over, Sakura realised half the team, most of the seniors, either scowled at her or chose to ignore her. Sakura was grateful for her friends sticking by her side and decided to go through practice as usual and ignore everything else. Unfortunately as they began practicing the dance routine, someone stuck their foot out behind Sakura, causing her to stumble back and clumsily land on her ass.<p>

Chiaki and her friends immediately burst out laughing.

Sakura felt her face turn red and hastily stood up on her feet again.

"Silence!" Yuugao-sensei snapped, looking rather pissed off. She had been teaching them a rather difficult dance step with her back turned to the squad but thanks to the wall of mirrors, she had seen exactly what had happened. "Matsumi, if I ever catch you tripping one of your teammates again on purpose, you're off the squad."

Her quiet but angry tone caused them all to gulp in dread and no one breathed a word as practice resumed and Sakura took her spot between Ino and Matsumi once more.

Once it was over, Sakura changed as quickly as possible and accepted Ino's offer on getting a ride home. She knew she was supposed to wait for Naruto to finish practice but she simply couldn't wait to get home.

It had been such a rough day. Not as bad as her days back in Suna but still… being confronted by unfriendly looks and words all day wasn't exactly what she had expected Konoha High to be. She had screwed up all right and now, even if she wanted, she had no idea how to fix things.

"I'm sure it'll be alright," Ino said quietly as she drove out of the school parking lot. "After Friday's performance, I'm sure everything will be okay again."

However, the anxious look on the blonde's face made it hard for Sakura to believe her.

**..~**~..**

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><p>The next day, nothing changed.<p>

Her locker hadn't been vandalised but the stares, the whispers and the name-calling in the hallways continued and intensified despite Naruto's outbursts and Ino's glares.

At least in class, no one openly bothered her.

By lunchtime, however, Sakura decided not to put her friends through any more trouble because of the mess she'd created and headed for the library instead. She knew she was being a coward and that she was skipping lunch, but at least the library gave her some peace and quiet before the afternoon classes began.

Pulling out an apple from her bag, Sakura sat down with her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and decided to read ahead for her class. After thirty minutes, she was bored and feeling the urge to use the toilet, she headed for the smaller bathroom outside the library, which she knew everyone avoided as the air conditioner was always broken.

The bathroom was smaller than others and stuffy, but the heat wasn't as unbearable as expected. Sakura used the stall furthest away from the door and just as she flushed the toilet she heard the bathroom door creak open and several pairs of footsteps walk in.

_Damn, I was hoping not to meet anyone in here._

Deciding not to let it affect her, Sakura opened her stall and stepped out until she spotted Ami and two of her friends standing outside and obviously waiting for her_._ They stood evenly spread out, blocking Sakura's way to the exit.

_Wow, this would be much more threatening if they actually looked the part instead of three skinny fangirls_, Sakura thought dryly.

A glint of metal suddenly caught her attention and she saw a large pair of scissors dangling from Ami's hand.

"It seems you're really not getting the message, Forehead," Ami greeted her with a sinister smile. "So we thought we'd teach you a lesson."

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, standing her ground.

All three sneered back at her. "Did you know, Forehead, that Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair," Ami stated as she held the pair of scissors up. "And your hair is much too long for our liking."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "So you three came up with the brilliant idea of trapping me in the bathroom, cutting off my hair and you think you can get away with it?"

Ami merely shrugged her shoulders. "I've gotten away with worse."

Obviously, Ami didn't see any flaws in her plan. It seemed she was used to preying on weak girls and getting away with it. But Sakura wasn't a weak girl. She'd survived Suna High and one didn't simply go through so many fights without learning a few tricks.

"Alright then, go ahead," Sakure challenged Ami, spreading her arms. "Come and get me."

Her words seemed to surprise them, however, before Ami could make a move, the bathroom door creaked open,.

"Sakura?" Hinata's voice filtered through and sure enough the purple-haired girl stepped inside before stopping as she spotted the scene before her.

"Hinata!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Hinata noticed Ami and her friends before focusing on the bright metal scissors. "We were looking for you and I thought I'd check the library."

"Hinata, get out - "

"Get her," Ami's voice rang out and immediately one of her friends grabbed Hinata's upper arm, pulling her further inside the bathroom.

_Damn it!_

"Let her go!" Sakura ordered, taking a menacing step towards Ami. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ami merely laughed, holding her large scissors up to Hinata's face in a threatening manner.

"This brings back happy memories from junior high, right Hina-chan?" Ami teased as Hinata squirmed nervously in her friend's grip.

_Wait – what? _Sakura was shocked by Ami's words, but seeing the look of shame on Hinata's words she decided not to comment on it, focusing on Ami and her friends instead. The thought of the three bitches before her bullying Hinata in the past and getting away with it made her sick.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sakura suddenly cried out, half in exasperation, half in anger. "Why are you doing all this?"

"Because we can," Ami said sharply, turning back to face her. "Because I'm a Matsuda and my clan has ties to the Akimichi whereas you're just a nobody who should know better than hang around Sasuke-kun and his friends. Now get down on your knees or these scissors will do more damage than cutting your hair."

_Fuck, think Sakura, think!_

She weighed her options. She could probably get rid of the three girls by herself but since they were holding Hinata, she feared for her friend. Ami's threat was clear and as Sakura hesitated, the dark-haired girl sneered and brought the sharp tip of her scissors closer to Hinata's eye.

"Alright, I'll do it, just let Hinata go," Sakura gave in, getting down on her knees.

"Nina, hold her down," Ami ordered and her tall blonde friend immediately stepped beside Sakura gripping her shoulder tightly.

Sakura knew she had to do something fast or they'd keep using Hinata against her.

"Wow, you girls really are dumb," Sakura commented, catching their attention. "First you go after me and now you're threatening Hinata Hyuuga. Have you even thought this thing through? What will you do when her family finds out? Or her cousin, Neji? Or even Sasuke?"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Ami screamed, crossing the distance between them in an instant and promptly slapping Sakura across the face.

_No way! Did she just hit us?_ Her Inner Self fumed. _You'd better not let her get away with it!_

Sakura felt her cheek sting and slowly turned her head to face Ami, who looked furious.

"Just who the hell do you think you are saying his name like that, you slut?" she continued, grabbing hold of Sakura's hair tightly and forcing the pinkette to look up at her. "He doesn't care about you, none of them do. No one will care what we do to you, you're a nobody! My friend told me what happened to you back in Suna. Where do you think I got the idea for your locker? I know all the humiliating things they did to you. And if you don't want us to do the same then you'd better do as we say from now on."

Sakura grit her teeth in response.

"Don't glare like you're better than me, Forehead! You're a nobody, I checked. Haruno isn't related to any of the important clans so you should quit acting so tough. You have no right hanging out with the clan heads. You're just worthless trash. I heard you don't even have a dad anymore. What happened, Forehead, did Daddy leave Mommy for a whore?"

Sakura felt something inside her snap and her green eyes blazed in anger. "Leave now before I punch your face in."

"Shut up, you bitch! We're going to cut your hair off!" Ami threatened, brandishing her scissors. "And then you're going to quit the squad and leave Sasuke-kun alone!"

"I'd like to see you try," Sakura seethed and catching them off guard, she twisted out of Nina's grip and grabbed Ami's hand, slamming it against the porcelain sinks. Ami immediately let go of the scissors with a hiss but then quickly launched herself at Sakura, who pivoted out of her way and shoved her against the tile wall.

Ami's face hit the wall with a sickening crunch and Sakura stepped back as the dark-haired girl slumped to the ground. Blood gushed out of Ami's broken nose as the bathroom door was thrown wide open and Ino and Tenten appeared.

"Sakura!" Ino exclaimed running inside and stopping as she noticed Ami's bloody face and her friends frozen expression. "What the hell's going on in here?"

"They cornered me in here hoping to cut my hair off," Sakura explained calmly, pointing at the scissors on the floor. "I didn't agree and now it's over."

"Like hell it is!" Ami shrieked, holding her hands up beneath her nose as her friends helped her stand up. "My parents won't let you get away wth this. You're finished, Forehead, you'll get expelled for this!"

Sakura merely glared back at her as the three girls headed towards the door. Could Ami really get her expelled? Sakura wasn't sure how much influence Ami's parents had on the school but she wasn't looking forward to finding out.

"Good idea, Ami," Ino hissed at the other girl. "Why don't you tell your mom to give Sakura's aunt a call. That would be Tsunade, she works at the hospital, you might know of her already."

"Never heard of her," Ami stated almost proudly despite the tears in her eyes and the blood running down her face. "But you'll be hearing from me soon."

Once she had left the bathroom, Sakura let out a deep sigh, shaking her head slightly. _Seriously, what is wrong with that girl?_

"She's never heard of Tsunade-sama," Tenten stated, biting back a smile.

"Just shows you how important her clan is after all," Ino muttered before turning to face Sakura. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I hope Tsunade tears her a new one."

"Doesn't matter," Sakura answered before approaching Hinata. "Hey, are you alright?"

Hinata looked up and nodded. Although slightly shaken, she looked fine.

"Ami threatened to cut her face with the scissors," Sakura explained to Ino and Tenten. "That girl is fucking crazy!"

"They threatened you?" Ino yelled, grabbing hold of Hinata's shoulders and looking at her face. "We've got to tell Neji about this."

"No!" Hinata immediately countered, shaking her head. "You can't tell him, he can't know what happened."

Sakura looked at her friend, noticing the mix of emotions on her face. She understood Hinata so well in that moment that it pained her.

"Ino, can you go find the guys? We'll be out in a sec," Sakura asked and was glad the blonde left the bathroom without any complaints.

"What's going on?" Tenten asked softly, her intuition telling her something more important had happened.

"Hinata, I don't want to push you but I know how you feel," Sakura explained, catching her friend's hand in her own. "Trust me, I know exactly how you feel, I went through the same thing. You heard what Ami said. And I know that it's always better to confide in your friends than keep it all to yourself."

She could tell Hinata was listening to her, although she wasn't sure if her message was getting across.

"I really think you should at least tell Neji," Sakura continued, trying to catch the girl's eye.

"He'll only blame himself," Hinata argued, turning to face Sakura. "We weren't exactly close back then."

Sakura gave her a reassuring smile. "It doesn't matter, he'll still want to know. Besides, Ami could try something again and it's best if Neji knows so he can look out for you, right?"

Tenten beside them kept quiet, catching on quickly and choosing to slip an arm through Hinata's to show her support. Hinata finally agreed and the three of them exited the bathroom together. They had barely made it past the library when they spotted the guys ahead in the hallway.

"Hinata," Neji called out and ran to her, immediately examining her face and clothes as he asked her if she was alright.

Ino was still talking to Sasuke as Sakura and Tenten approached the others.

"Sakura," Naruto greeted in a worried voice and pulling her into a tight hug. "Are you alright?"

Sakura hugged him back and nodded before pulling away. "I guess Ino told you guys what happened, huh?"

"Your cheek's red," Sasuke noted, his dark eyes watching her keenly and Sakura immediately brought her hand to her face to cover it.

_Oh right, I forgot about that!_

"Did she hit you?" Naruto asked, anger laced in his voice.

"Yeah, she slapped me," Sakura admitted with a laugh. "Didn't think she'd go so far, but I guess it was better than seeing her threaten Hinata."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he looked over at Hinata as Kiba spoke up. "Guess you got her back pretty good, huh? We saw her run by with her friends just before. Man, the state of her face! What the hell happened?"

"Her face met a wall," Sakura said flatly.

Shikamaru seemed surprised. "You did that to her?"

Sakura looked back incredulously at him. Did he really think she'd let Ami threaten her, insult her and slap her and not get her back for it? Did he really think her that weak?

"Yeah, I guess I got pretty angry," she admitted and before anyone could ask more questions, the bell rang signalling the end of lunch and the start of their next class.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>News of Sakura's confrontation with Ami travelled fast throughout the school and by the time English began, the stares and whispers that had followed Sakura everywhere for the past couple of days slowly died down.<p>

Sakura did her best to focus during English, although her thoughts were still all over the place after the incident. She didn't notice until halfway through class that Sasuke's eyes were on her. He was watching her closely with a slight frown on his face as if trying to decipher a puzzle, but quickly looked away when she caught him.

When class ended, Kakashi-sensei called both Hinata and her to his desk for a "talk" and Sakura felt her stomach clench. After all the students were gone, Kakashi informed them that Ami had blabbed about the whole incident to the teachers when being treated for her nose, making her to look like the victim. Kakashi straight out told them he didn't buy her crap knowing her troubled past and seemed to believe Sakura and Hinata when they told him the truth.

Sakura skillfully explained that Ami's broken nose had been an accident and not an open attack and Kakashi seemed to buy it. He then admitted that the scissors had been stolen that very morning during Ami's art class, thus coinciding with their story. Obviously Kakashi trusted the Hyuuga heiress's version of the story more than he did Ami's and when they were done, he was officially Sakura's new favourite teacher.

By the time classes ended, the junior halls were buzzing about the incident with Ami, but Sakura was at least grateful that fewer students were giving her cold or unfriendly looks.

Heading to cheer practice with her friends, she felt uneasy about facing Karin and mostly Chiaki again and decided to avoid them at all costs.

However, as soon as she stepped foot inside the changing room, Karin was there to greet her.

"Oh look girls, it's Sakura," she stated with disdain in her voice. "Are you here to break my nose as well?"

Several girls laughed, but before Sakura could react, Okyo intervened.

"Enough!" she snapped, slamming her locker close and walking to the centre of the changing rooms. "That is enough, from all of you. We are all part of a team now and we have to work together. We can't have any quarrels among us or we will never be able to compete. Yuugao-sensei made it quite clear yesterday – she won't tolerate any petty behaviour so all of you just drop it! It's over now; the Matsuda girl got what she deserved so leave Sakura alone."

Chiaki laughed at her. "My, what an inspiring speech Captain."

"Oh fuck off, Chiaki," Kagura growled as she finished changing.

"I'd also like to add something," Ino intervened, standing beside Okyo. "I spoke to Shikamaru earlier and he told me Sakura wasn't technically the one to spill the beans last Friday about our night out. Someone else flat out told them we had lied and gone clubbing. Isn't that right, Karin?"

All eyes suddenly fell on the red head.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," Karin answered with a shrug.

"Are you serious?" Chiaki asked, turning on her. "I know you're not one for team spirit but to purposely spoil our night out, that's really bitchy, even for you, Karin."

"Yeah, thanks for spoiling our fun," Matsumi added in a cold tone.

Comments continued to fly at the red-head from every senior and Sakura watched, stunned, as the tables suddenly turned and Karin became the squad's number one enemy.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, Ami is pure evil, but I have plans for Karin so don't hate her just yet... <strong>

**Not much SasuSaku but next chapter is the game, the first cheer performance, the party and the KISS! So be sure to tell me how you loved or hated this chapter and how psyched you are about the latest Naruto chapters! Seriously, Kishimoto, chapter 627 made me scream and jump in joy! **

**Also recommendation: If you haven't read or seen the shoujo Bokura Ga Ita (We we there) then try it now, it is amazing and so sad...**

**Thanks, as always, for your support and love - I cherish each and every review :)**

**sai xx**


	13. Pump It

**I am a terrible person for not updating sooner, I am so sorry but I have been terribly busy with work and life and organising a trip to Japan this July! I'm so excited :)**

**This chapter is dedicated to Nou Nou Amgel, my 190th reviewer, and all of you awesome reviewers out there that left me so many heartfelt and kind reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<br>**

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>"Kaori, you have to be quicker!" Yuugao-sensei yelled from her seat as she watched the squad perform the entire routine before her. "Nanako, you call that a high kick? Tenten, your legs need to be snappier after that toe touch! Ino, you keep missing your cue, start again!"<p>

It went on and on and on and once they were done, Yuugao-sensei made them split into smaller groups focusing on the more difficult parts before moving onto stunts.

Sakura had come a long way already as a flyer since her first practice. Yuugao-sensei's ridiculous hardore trainings had improved her skills vastly and she now felt confident with a liberty at both prep and extension level. Yuugao-sensei had hoped that either she or Ino would manage a scorpion by Friday, but neither of the girls could hold it long enough. However, they had been working on pop cradles, which had an awesome effect in the routine and something Sakura definitely enjoyed. She was thankful Tenten, Hinata and Kagura were her bases as she had to trust them completely to catch her whenever she was off balance.

She had never imagined how dangerous stunts could be, nor how physically challenging cheerleading actually was. Which was why she was growing to love it so much. It was thrilling, it was hard, but it was fun and it kept her in great shape.

"Alright, girls, gather round, that's enough for today," Yuugao-sensei called to them and they sat down on the mat for a final round of cool down stretching. Sakura had come to expect this final part of practice as the time when their coach would individually call out each girl and tell them where they needed work. It was almost like homework except when she told Ino that she was too skinny or Matsumi that she needed to work out harder to keep her stomach flat. Most of the time, Yuugao-sensei would tell Sakura to work on the routine but this time she asked the pinkette for a favour instead.

"Sakura, could you help Karin stretch out for a little while? She really needs the help with her splits. It won't take long, just help her through basic stretching and make sure she keeps her back straight."

Sakura merely nodded, her eyes flicking to Karin, who looked away.

"Everyone else you're free to go," Yuugao-sensei told them, clapping her hands. "Tomorrow, I want to see everything go perfectly or we will be practicing all night if we have to! So make sure to practice those dance moves until you can do them in your sleep! Okyo, stay behind as well, we need to go over the lighting effects."

Everyone stood up and Sakura said goodbye to the girls as they walked off and approached Karin whilst Yuugao and Okyo headed to the other side of the dojo.

No one had even acknowledged Karin as they left. She was left sitting on the tatami, watching the backs of her retreating teammates. Her red eyes then snapped to Sakura.

"Did you come here to gloat?" she sneered, stretching her legs straight out in font of her.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why? Does it look like I'm gloating?" she bit back.

Kain noticed the annoyed look on Sakura's face and shrugged.

"Just let me help you stretch," Sakura told her, standing behind the redhead and pushing her torso slightly as the redhead easily reached for her feet.

"Don't forget to breathe," Sakura added after a moment as she noticed Karin holding her breath. The redhead did as she was told and soon shifted to a split position.

Sakura watched her closely as she helped. She had never really looked at Karin before since the girl had always been too nasty for Sakura to bother with but now that she was up close, Sakura realised just how pretty her teammate actually was. Her skin was pale and smooth with light freckles dusted on her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were a deep red and almond-shaped giving her natural cat eyes that Sakura immediately envied. She could only achieve that look on her eyes with make-up. Finally Karin's hair, although wild on one side and straight on the other, framed her face perfectly and gave her a unique style which for some reason worked for her.

Sakura had wondered how Karin could have ended up with Sasuke with such a bitchy attitude and a permanent sneer on her face, but seeing past that, she felt as though she understood how the Uchiha could have fallen for her.

It was true that Karin had done bad things judging by what Naruto had told her, but Sakura also knew that that didn't automatically make her a bad person. After all, Ami had been the one to vandalise her locker and attack her in the bathroom.

"So, are you nervous about Friday?" Sakura asked, trying to start a conversation as she kept her hands on Karin's back.

"Not really," Karin answered, her tone sounding genuine rather than disdainful.

"I am," Sakura admitted, thinking about the amount of people who would be watching. "What if we screw up?"

Karin gave her a cold look. "We won't. You should trust Yuugao-sensei. She knows what she's doing."

Sakura merely nodded and shifted to the side, holding Karin's back leg upward at a 90 degree angle, whilst giving the girl helpful advice for her splits.

"Do you want to try a ring leap? I can hold your arms back and -"

"Sakura," Karin cut in, her tone somewhat softer and Sakura stopped hoping perhaps the redhead was finally warming up to her.

Karin turned her head, straining her body to face the pinkette. "Is it true what Ami told me about what happened in Suna?"

_Of course, _**that's**_ what she wants to talk about!_

Sakura dropped Karin's leg and stood up. "Well I guess it depends on what Ami said, but I'm sure whatever she found out was probably true."

Karin nodded, shifting her legs to stretch them out in front of her again. "Wow. I'd always heard that Suna was a pretty rough place but I always thought people were exaggerating."

"You guys have it easy here," Sakura answered with a dry smile. "Right, well I need to head off but it looks like you're managing just fine by yourself. Maybe next time you can help me out as well, yeah?"

Karin nodded and as Sakura was about to leave, she spoke up once more.

"This doesn't change anything."

Sakura turned around, watching the redhead stare at her intensely.

"Once we're outside of practice, nothing will have changed between us. We're not friends."

Sakura sighed before nodding. "No, we're not friends – but we're teammates and no matter what you did last Friday, the girls shouldn't be giving you a hard time. I'll talk with Ino and Okyo tomorrow."

Karin stared back in surprise and Sakura merely smiled. "However, if you want the other girls to like you then stop acting like a bitch and come hang out with us next time."

Feeling as though she had said everything she wanted, Sakura turned on her heel and left the dojo, waving Karin goodbye before slipping inside the changing rooms.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sasuke stood by the hideous orange car, cigarette in hand, as he watched with a calculating gaze his best friend lean his arms on top of his car and drum his fingers impatiently on the roof.

Naruto was unusually quiet which meant that something was off.

His game had been all over the place during practice although Gai-sensei had barely noticed since he'd been focusing on the seniors for Friday's game. However, Sasuke had noticed and so had their friends. And he had a feeling it all had to do with the annoying pink-haired girl that they were currently waiting for.

"Naruto!"

_Speak of the devil… _Sakura came running towards them, still clad in her cheer uniform and gripping her shoulder bag tightly.

"I'm sorry, Yuugao-sensei asked me to -"

She stopped short as she noticed Sasuke, her cheeks flushed and random strands of hair falling out of her pony tail. Her eyes were bright and wild and her unguarded expression was suddenly replaced with a surprised one.

"Oh, Sasuke -"

"I'm taking Teme home as well," Naruto explained to her quicky, opening the driver's door. "And don't worry, the girls told us you'd be late."

Sakura nodded and Sasuke flicked the end of his cigarette away before heading to the passenger seat. As he opened the door, however, he remembered Sakura's fear of cars.

He turned to face her. "You okay riding in the backseat?"

She looked at him, stunned, until a smile grazed her lips. "Yeah, it's fine."

Once inside, Naruto's god-awful music switched on and he took off, heading for Sakura's home first. The ride was quiet until Sakura complained about the heat and opened the backseat window.

"So are you guys nervous about Friday?" she asked, fanning herself with a notebook.

"Are you kidding? Tanzaku's a joke! If we don't beat them, we don't deserve to make it to the championship. They never make it past the Inter-High," Naruto exclaimed, his usual self once more. "How about you? You nervous about your first performance?"

Sakura groaned behind him. "I'm worried about all the dancing we have to do."

Naruto laughed at her until he stopped at a red light and suddenly turned his music off, his face serious once more.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," he began, his gaze flicking to the rear-mirror view, where he could see her. "Jiraiya called me earlier. He wanted to know why the Akimichi's were bitching at your mom at the hospital on behalf of the Matsuda's saying you broke their daughter's nose."

_I guess that's why he's been so weird since practice started…_

"WHAT?" Sakura yelled, leaning forward in her seat. "Are you serious? What did you say?"

"I covered for you," Naruto told her quickly. "I told him it was an accident, that she'd bothered you and totally deserved it, but an accident all the same. Apparently Baa-chan defended you too and once she got involved, the Akimichi's apologised. Jiraiya also said they were both worried about you especially after all the fights you got into back in Suna."

Sasuke noticed the sudden tension in the car after Naruto's words.

_What the hell does that mean, 'all the fights'?_

It seemed Naruto was also looking for answers. "Sakura-chan, what did he mean by that?"

Sakura leaned back in her seat and turned her head to face the window. "Jiraiya really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut."

"Sakura, I covered for you and you know how much I hate lying to him," Naruto continued, shifting gears and turning into Sakura's neighbourhood. "You owe me and the least you could do is tell me what happened in Suna."

"I already told you," came her cold reply.

Sasuke noticed Naruto's hands gripping the wheel tighter. "Sakura…"

"Really, Naruto?" Sakura burst out, surprising them both. "You want to talk about this right now? In front of Sasuke?"

Sasuke could instantly tell she was just using him as an excuse to avoid the subject and it seemed Naruto knew that as well.

"Fine, but then answer me this," he started looking annoyed as he parked outside of Sakura's apartment and turned around to face her. "What did Ami say to you to make you so mad?"

Sasuke was surprised by Naruto's question but said nothing, preferring to watch Sakura's reaction instead.

"I know you, Sakura-chan," Naruto explained, his tone softer than before. "You usually don't care what people say about you and I've never seen you get violent before so what did she say to make you want to break her nose."

"I didn't mean to break her nose," Sakura answered with a sigh, putting away her notebook inside her bag and avoiding all eye contact. "It's just that… well, she talked shit about my dad."

She opened the car door and stepped out before Naruto could respond. "Thanks for the ride, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They watched her leave and Naruto switched gears again before driving away.

"She's definitely hiding something," Sasuke spoke up after a while.

Naruto tapped his fingers loudly on the steering wheel as he waited for the green light. "I know. She probably hasn't told Ero-Sennin and Baa-chan the whole truth either."

He fell silent again, lost in his thoughts until the light switched.

"What happened to her father?" Sasuke suddenly asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Naruto glanced briefly at Sasuke without saying anything, making a turn towards the richer side of town.

"Teme, haven't I told you already?"

"Hn." The truth was Naruto probably had already told him in the past but Sasuke probably hadn't been listening. Naruto was always rambling on about a lot of things.

"Kizashi died four years ago," Naruto explained after a moment, keeping his eyes on the road. Sasuke noted the sadness in his voice but waited for him to continue. "It was a car accident. He was driving back with Sakura from Konoha towards Suna when a drunk driver crashed into them on the highway. Sakura was the only survivor – she was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Her leg and a few of her ribs were broken. It happened just after New Year's. I still remember getting the call from Baa-chan."

Sasuke found himself listening intently to Naruto's every word. He didn't know why he cared so much but something about Sakura losing her dad resonated within him. After all, he too knew what it was to lose a parent.

"She doesn't talk about him much," Naruto added, as an afterthought. "She was pretty close to him and his death is still a sore subject for her. No wonder she broke Ami's nose…"

Sasuke remained silent, realising just how little he knew about the pink-haired girl, who was quickly integrating his circle of friends. She was still a mystery to him and although he had found out a little about her past, he was still missing pieces of the puzzle.

And those missing pieces piqued his interest.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura walked to her building door, nervously biting on her nail. Damn, Naruto for being so nosy and damn Jiraiya for not keeping his mouth shut!

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she spotted her mother's car in the parking lot even though her mother had specifically told her she'd be working late that night. What surprised Sakura even more was the sleek black car parked next to her mother's which belonged to her aunt, Tsunade.

_Shit!_

Quickly rushing inside the building, Sakura ran up to the stairs to her apartment, but stopped dead when she noticed a man standing outside the door.

The man was wearing a black suit and as he turned to face Sakura, she noticed he was also wearing a radio earpiece.

He looked in his mid-twenties Sakura guessed with straight shoulder-length brown hair and a matchstick plucked between his lips.

As soon as he caught sight of Sakura, his lips twitched into a large smile and Sakura realised she was still wearing her cheer outfit and that the pervert was totally checking her out.

Thankfully, the door to her apartment opened and Tsunade appeared.

"Sakura, get in here," she barked, standing in the doorway and Sakura trudged up the remaining steps. "Shiranui! Didn't I tell you to wait in the car?"

"Someone has to be with you at all times, Hokage-sama," the suit answered as Sakura reached the door.

She could see her aunt glaring at the man in return. "Fine. But if I catch you staring at my sixteen year-old niece again I will personally castrate you!"

With that she slammed the door shut and ushered Sakura inside where her mother and Jiraiya sat waiting for her around the kitchen table drinking tea.

"You have a bodyguard now?" Sakura asked her aunt as she dumped her school bag at the foot of the table and grabbed a chair.

"Yes," Tsunade answered, obviously not wanting to go into detail. "But more importantly, tell us exactly what happened at school and why the Akimichis are insisting that you broke Matsuda Ami's nose."

Feeling her mother's worried gaze on her as well as her aunt's stern one, Sakura sighed in annoyance. It was going to be a long evening.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>..~**~..<strong>**

School the next day was back to normal again. Ami's sudden expulsion from Konoha High was the main gossip of the morning and since nobody apart from Sakura's group of friends knew what had happened, wild rumours began to spread about the black-haired girl.

Fortunately no one had bothered Sakura or stared at her since she'd arrived that morning and her fellow classmates even began to acknowledge her again. Karin, on the other hand, true to her word, ignored her on purpose although she refrained from making any nasty comments.

"Sakura, I'll see you at cheer practice later," Tenten exclaimed after their afternoon Biology class and before Sakura could respond the brunette turned down the hallway and quickly made her way towards Neji.

Sakura watched her playfully bump into Neji's shoulder as she caught up to him and noted the gentle look the Hyuuga gave her in return. Although the feelings between the two were more than obvious to everyone, nothing had changed since the girls' night at Amnesia.

Ino had suggested locking them up somewhere during Friday's party until they finally pounced on each other but Sakura had a feeling neither of them wanted their friends interfering.

Reaching her locker, which was thankfully back to normal, Sakura stashed away her heavy books, before taking her Chemistry one out.

"Hey, Sakura, you got a sec?"

Sakura closed her locker and was surprised to find Shikamaru slouched against the lockers with his friend Chouji standing beside him.

"Sure, what's up?"

Shikamaru turned to Chouji, who shyly stepped forward. Clasping a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder, Shikamaru then slipped away through the crowd, leaving a surprised Sakura alone with Chouji.

She didn't know the Akimichi boy very well, having only interacted with him during a couple of lunches where all the other boys had been around. He was childhood friends with Shikamaru and Ino she knew and also a member of the basketball team although he skipped training a lot and never played any actual games. He seemed mostly like a quiet guy, who knew a lot about food and cooking as Sakura remembered from the few conversations she overheard and according to the girls was incredibly nice.

However, Sakura didn't know what to make of him as he stood before her nervously, looking down at his hands.

_Oh God, I hope this isn't what I think it is…_

"Sakura-san," he finally spoke up, looking at her. "I wanted to apologise on behalf of my clan for Ami's behaviour and assure you that the Akimichi will never speak so disrespectfully about you or to your mother again."

He then bowed his head and Sakura was completely taken aback. She had heard the full story concerning the Akimichis from her mother and aunt the previous night. Apparently the clan head had called her mother at the hospital accusing Sakura of being bullying and violence and threatening to demand the school council to expel her for her actions on behalf of Ami's parents. No matter what her mother had said to defend Sakura, the Akimichi wasn't satisfied until Tsunade had stepped in.

"Oh… um, that's quite alright," Sakura answered, slightly embarassed by his actions. "You don't need to apologise, Chouji-san, your clan couldn't know Ami was lying. She tried to fool Kakashi-sensei as well."

He looked up at her again and she was surprised by the look of regret and shame on his face. "It will never happen again and you will be glad to know that we reported Ami to the school council and she was expelled for her actions. We are truly sorry."

Sakura had already heard about Ami's expulsion from Ino during homeroom as well as the whole school apparently since everyone spoke about it, however, she was surprised to find out that the Akimichi had reported her. It seemed they hadn't liked being played with.

"Thank you, Chouji-san," Sakura answered with a smile. "Your words mean a lot to me."

And truly, they did. After all, no one had ever apologised to her or felt bad for her before back in Suna.

Chouji looked relieved and pulling out a bag of crisps from his backpack, he offered them to her.

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

"One last time girls and then I'll promise I'll let you go," Yuugao-sensei announced, fiddling with the CD player. "Take five for now and then we'll start from the top."

Sakura groaned and reached for her water bottle at one end of the tatami before sitting down. Tenten stood beside her re-tying her buns whilst Hinata and Ino continued practicing a couple of steps.

"Weren't we supposed to rehearse some chants today?" Sakura asked, between two gulps of water.

"Oh God, don't bring that up now or we'll never get out of here!" Tenten warned here, grabbing her own bottle.

Sakura blew her bangs out of her face. "Do you think it's going to be this intense everytime?" she asked, watching Yuugao-sensei moving from group to group, giving everyone last minute advice.

"I'm afraid so," Okyo piped up behind them. "However, once we win the cheer competition you girls will be thanking her. Now come on, let's make this one our best routine ever so she can finally let us go!"

Okyo headed back to the center of the dojo whilst Sakura and Tenten groaned in exhaustion.

"Come on, let's get this done so we can head to Ino's after for our girls' night," Tenten urged Sakura, hoisting the pinkette back up on her feet. "You are coming, right?"

"Are you kidding? Manicures, pedicures and facials free of charge, plus girl talk?" Sakura asked, her face lighting up with a smile. "Of course I am!"

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

The following morning it was suddenly Friday and although Sakura would have liked to forget all about the game until it was time to perform, it was virtually impossible seeing how the school had been painted red, black and white with decorations.

Sakura walked to her locker in awe of the sheer amount of effort the school had put into supporting its team and the amount of excitement that resonated within the hallways. Everyone was talking about the upcoming basketball game and everyone had decided to wear the school colours for the first game as was tradition making Sakura feel out of place in rolled up jeans and a green halter-neck.

She was relieved to find Ino wearing a pair of white shorts with a purple top as she reached homeroom.

"I don't do red," she explained to Sakura as she took a seat beside the blonde. "It clashes with my skin and hair. The only red clothing I'll agree to wear is the cheer uniform. Nothing else."

Sakura wanted to tell her that she looked just as good in the red uniform as anything else but she was distracted but Naruto's loud arrival, wearing his jersey with black jeans and yelling at anyone who'd listen how Konoha was going to kick Tanzaku's ass. The other guys seemed their usual selves but the rest of the class was psyched and even Kakashi spent ten minutes talking about the game once he'd arrived.

_This school is insane,_ Sakura thought whilst feeling the butterflies in her stomach multiply by the minute.

By lunchtime, her stress levels had increased ten-fold and as she sat down to eat with the rest of the squad, she could barely swallow anything.

"Sakura, you have to eat," Hinata urged discreetly beside her. "It'll be even worse if you faint during the game."

Picturing herself fainting on the basketball court in front of the large crowd of spectators, the pinkette immediately grabbed her onigiri and started nibbling on it. There was no way she would let herself mess up during the squad's first appearance.

The afternoon went by far too quickly for Sakura's liking and she barely listened to the teachers as she thought about the upcoming performance.

Halfway through class she received an encouraging text message from her mother, who wished her good luck, making her smile and ease up a little. Her mother couldn't make it to the game but Sakura preferred it that way.

Once classes were over, Sakura found Naruto in the junior hallway with the rest of their friends putting away their school books.

"Good luck in the game," Sakura wished Naruto, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you dance like an uncoordinated monkey," Naruto joked, causing Sakura to gasp and punch him in the arm.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he exclaimed, holding his arms up. "I'll sure you'll do great."

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him before Neji announced it was time for the guys to leave.

The girls wished them all good luck as they headed for the gym and the cheer squad then met up in the changing rooms with Yuugao-sensei.

"Alright, girls, gather round," their coach called out once they had all arrived. "We have two hours before the game starts, which means you have one hour to get ready and go through your steps once last time. After that we will head to the dojo for a warm-up, go through the routine once with a few chants and then head to the gym. Usually we would already be on the side-lines before the game starts but as this year you have a new coach, a new squad name and new outfits, you also get a special entrance."

The girls buzzed in excitement around Sakura.

"Now enough about that for now," their coach continued, "Go get changed first. Okyo and Ino, you're in charge of everyone's hair, I want to see everyone with high ponytails. Kaori, you'll help me with make-up."

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura peered behind the black curtain set up in a corner of the gym, hiding the locker rooms and the cheer squad from the rest of the public and felt her jaw drop.

The gym was packed with people in the stands and press in the sidelines. Loud music could be heard all around over which a commentator was giving a detailed description of both teams and exciting the crowd.

"We're so screwed," Sakura told Ino as the blonde joined her. "I thought we'd only have to perform in front of part of the student body – you know, like in a normal high school. But this -"

Sakura waved her hand at what lay beyond the curtain.

"This is insane! I don't think I can perform wearing this skimpy oufit in front of so many people!"

"Nearly 3,000," Tenten pitched in, causing Ino to give her a look.

"Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick," Sakura said weakly, trying to picture herself dancing on the basketball court.

"Don't think about it," Ino tried to comfort her. "Yuugao-sensei is the best in the business and she's prepared us for it. I trust her and so should you - she knows what she's doing. Besides, didn't you compete at a regional level in gymnastics? I'm sure there were more people then."

"There were and it made me feel nauseous everytime," Sakura answered honestly.

Ino shook her head at her. "You'll be fine, you have to stop worrying. You're part of a team now and we'll manage together."

Sakura nodded exhaling softly through her mouth.

"Alright girls," Yuugao-sensei told them, just as the commentator began to announce the beginning of the game. "You all know what you need to do. There's no need to panic, you are more than prepared. This is only the first game and once you see the poor level of Tanzaku's cheer squad, I'm sure you'll feel a lot more confident."

The teasing smile on their coach's face made Sakura laugh.

"Now go have fun and make me proud!" she ordered with a large smile just as the announcer's loud voice could be heard.

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for, the new and improved varsity cheer squad, the Konoha Kunoichi!"

The black curtain was pulled back slightly and the girls ran out onto the court Sakura, Ino and Kaori breaking into a tumbling routine as the others jumped and shouted, waving their pompoms around and getting the crowd riled up.

The amount of applause was astounding and Sakura smiled and waved along with the rest of her squad before moving onto the sidelines. She quickly noticed that the Tanzaku cheerleaders dressed in blue and white were already in place on the other side of the court. Sakura was handed some pompoms as well and they got into position to welcome the players on court.

Quickly Tanzaku's team was introduced by the commentator and they appeared on court with some applause and lots of cheering from their squad.

Sakura couldn't help but check some of the players out.

"That's Tenten's ex, Shun," Ino whispered loudly beside her, pointing out to a tall brown-haired guy with a number 5 jersey. "He's a pretty good player."

Hearing the girls talk, Tenten turned to glare at Ino, who smiled back innocently but then the commentator announced Konoha's team and the crowd went wild.

_They better not lose_, Sakura thought to herself, wondering how long the cheers, the press and cameras would last then.

She watched the basketball team arrive waving at the crowd and cheered loudly along with the squad.

Soon enough the referee called for the starting players and three seniors along with Sasuke and Naruto positioned themselves on the court. Ino gave Sakura a run down of the other players' names and positions and she quickly found out that Sasuke played power forward whereas Naruto played point guard.

The whistle was blown and the game began. Konoha caught the jump ball and then everything went crazy fast. Players ran from one end of the court to another, passing, and dribbling so quickly that Sakura wasn't always sure who had the ball.

The intensity and high-paced play of both teams completely surprised her and within seconds Sasuke opened the score with a slam dunk.

"Is it like this everytime?" Sakura asked Ino in awe.

"Yeah pretty much," Ino answered with a large smile. "Although it looks like Tanzaku is just as riled up about this game."

The game continued at the same intensity and Sakura enjoyed watching the Konoha players use their skills to pass amongst each other confusing Tanzaku's defense. Naruto and Sasuke were particularly good at behind passes with each other, demonstrating just how well they knew each other's moves and thoughts.

"Sakura, stop staring and start cheering," Tenten exclaimed with a laugh, nudging her slightly and Sakura lifted her pompoms again and joined in the chant.

She cheered loudly with every shot and by the end of the first quarter, Konoha was already leading by 6 points.

The players switched baskets and Sakura noticed Tenten's ex, Shun standing a lot closer to them this time. Before the referee gave the whistle starting the second quarter, he trotted towards the sidelines, wiping his brow with his jersey whilst showing off his toned stomach.

"Looking good, Ten-chan," he greeted with a large smile that caused half the girls to blush. Tenten blushed so deeply that Sakura could barely contain her laugh.

"Oh yeah, real smooth, _Ten-chan_," she whispered to the brunette, who immediately covered her face in shame as Sakura along with Ino laughed at her.

The game resumed and this time, Naruto and Sasuke had been switched with Neji and another senior. Konoha played just as well as in the first quarter, keeping a high-paced play and dominating their opponent. Neji seemed unstoppoable, scoring three-pointers one after another and looked almost smug as he stole the ball right from Shun's hand. Sakura continued to jump and cheer, although her mind kept thinking of the routine.

Soon enough the whistle blew and Sakura felt the colour drain from her face. The players quickly cleared to court, returning to the side benches where they were handed water bottles and towels and listened to their coaches. Within seconds, the commentator announced that the cheerleaders would be performing during half-time and the blue and white Tanzaku cheerleaders invaded the court, preparing themselves for their routine. The lights suddenly dimmed, voices hushed and the music began.

"Let's see how good they are," Ino whispered and Sakura nodded, keeping her eyes on the squad performing to _Call Me Maybe_.

She watched the tumbling, jumps and dancing and noticed the crowd sing-a-long and clap to the music. _They know how to engage a crowd but their dance moves aren't great._

The routine ended with a beginner's stunt, a double based thigh stand.

"We totally got this," Tenten announced, dropping her pompoms to one side. Hinata agreed, patting down her uniform and looking focused.

Tanzaku's poor performance seemed to have boosted all the girls' confidence and Sakura, catching Okyo's concerned gaze, smiled widely in return.

"Let's do this," Okyo announced and as the commentator spoke up again, the girls stepped forward onto the court, riling up the crowd and getting into starting positions.

_I can do this_, Sakura thought to herself, taking deep breaths, _I've practiced for two weeks now, I can do this._

Black Eyed Peas' _Pump It_ music began and Sakura looked straight ahead, ignoring everything around her and launched herself into a run before kicking into a complicated tumble.

She tumbled, jumped and danced to the music, letting it flow through her body, fill her with energy and giving it her all. She remembered all her cues at the right beat, snapped her legs straight at every jump and smiled as best she could.

_C'mon baby just pump it, louder, pump it, louder…_

Finally the stunts came and her full-ups and liberties into cradles went without a glitch. The stunts were tiring but the adrenaline pumping through Sakura's veins made her keep the fast-paced rhythm and Kagura, Hinata and Tenten did a great job, holding her upright and helping her keep her balance.

_Turn up the radio, blast your stereo, right now…_

As the song came to an end, Sakura positioned herself in the front and along with Ino dropped to her knees, posing like a cat and throwing her head back.

Breathing heavily but smiling all the same, her eyes met Sasuke's dark, smouldering ones looking straight at her. Naruto sitting beside him stared at her as well, his mouth hanging open.

There was a moment a silence where Sakura's heart clenched before the crowd erupted into loud cheers and applause.

_Holy shit, we did it!_

_**..~**~..**_

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading! So yes, party, kiss and all the rest of it next chapter. I'm sorry about that, but this chapter was already long and I like taking my time developing relationships. I hope the basketball game and routine seemed real. All the basketball stuff is mostly inspired from recently watching Kuroko no Basuke, a very good anime btw.<strong>

**My faith in Kishimoto-sensei has been restored! Those of you who follow the manga and have read the recent chapters will know what I'm talking about so feel free to gush all about it in a review/PM. **

**Question: How do you feel about a serious take on an OC insert fic? As in an OC that suddenly falls into the Naruto world without knowing it and tries to figure out what the hell is happening, not a made-up Naruto character. One such example of a good OC insert fic is A Play With Words by XER9AF. I know these types of fics can be terrible but I have this plot bunny in my head that won't go away so I thought I would give it a try. Would you guys be interested?**

**Next update will be before I leave for my trip, I promise!**

**sai xx **


	14. Party at Kiba's

**Japan was simply amazing! I loved it. I want to go back. And live there. It's just that awesome! **

**Thank you all for being so patient with me and for all the love you've shown this fic :) Just a reminder, this fic is rated M because there will be alcohol and drugs and sex and everything that makes for a high school drama - so you are therefore warned.**

**This chapter is dedicated to animefreak606, my 220th reviewer. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<br>**

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>Relief flooded through Sakura's body and she stood up, smiling widely before quickly retreating back to the sidelines. Yuugao-sensei rushed to congratulate them and within seconds Ino jumped on Sakura pulling her into a group hug with Tenten and Hinata.<p>

"That was so awesome!" Ino yelled in her ear and Sakura hugged her friends tightly in return, no longer feeling any doubts about joining the squad.

The game resumed soon after with Neji and Kiba and the girls chanted even louder for every shot and steal. Tanzaku were losing badly but played just as hard as in the first quarter. However, it was clear to everyone in the gym that the difference in skill between the two teams was simply too great. Tenten cheered loudly for Neji after he scored another three-pointer just as the whistle was blown.

In the last quarter, Naruto and Sasuke switched back in and the response of the crowd was wild. Sakura could tell her best friend was having a blast judging by the grin on his face as he tore through Tanzaku's defense and slam dunked the ball. Sasuke's face remained focused as he stole the ball repeatedly from Tanzaku players and passed it to his senior teammates.

By the end of the game, Konoha had destroyed Tanzaku. The squad cheered loudly and the crowd gave a ton of applause to both teams. Tanzaku players didn't seem too upset and happily shook hands with Konoha. They seemed glad for the attention their game had drawn and Sakura spotted Shun smiling as Konoha's local television went to interview him.

Everyone seemed to want a piece of the Konoha players though and before Sakura could find Naruto or the other guys to congratulate them, the court was swamped with people. Sakura stood on tiptoe hoping to spot the players among the large crowd but among the many students, parents and press it was utter chaos.

"Don't bother looking for them," Tenten spoke up beside her. "The first game's always a nightmare like this and even if you find them, they'll be busy answering questions and stuff. We should go change, we'll find them later."

Sakura nodded, slightly disappointed she'd have to wait until the party to see the guys but quickly followed the rest of the squad through the crowd towards the locker rooms.

"Ten-chan!" a voice called behind them and the girls turned around to find Shun quickly making his way through the crowd towards them.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be right there," Tenten told them, a slight frown on her face.

"Are you sure?" Ino asked, noticing her anxious look.

"Yeah, don't worry," Tenten added with a smile and Ino nodded in return, dragging Sakura and Hinata along with her towards the locker rooms.

Hinata shook her head, sighing. "Neji nii-san isn't going to like this."

Sakura turned her head just in time to see the large smile Shun gave Tenten as he reached her.

_Actually, this might be the right kind of push that Neji needs._

_**..~**~..**_

* * *

><p>"Ino, Sakura!"<p>

Sakura turned around to find Kiba jogging through the carpark towards them still clad in jersey and shorts as Shikamaru and Neji trailed behind.

"Hey Kiba, well done!" Sakura congratulated him as the guys reached them. "You guys did great."

"Yeah, you did pretty good for once," Ino added in a teasing tone, "probably because Shika didn't play."

"The first game of the season is always too troublesome," Shikamaru retorted, causing Neji to shake his head. "Damn press and all."

Ino sighed loudly. "Don't worry, genius, it wasn't you they were coming to watch in any case. So where are Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Gai-sensei wanted to talk to them, they'll be out in a sec," Neji answered, keeping his eyes on the school entrance.

"And then it's Ichiraku's!" Kiba exclaimed, just as his stomach growled in hunger.

"Ichiraku's?" Sakura asked, slightly confused. "I'm guessing that's Naruto's idea, right?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru confirmed, fishing for his cigarette pack in the jeans' pocket. "The idiot managed to convince the whole team to eat there after home games last year and now it's become a tradition."

"I wish those idiots would hurry the fuck up," Kiba muttered, turning to face the school entrance. "I'm starving and I have to head back to the compound to set up for the party. You girls are coming, right? Feel free to turn up in your cheerleader outfits by the way, you all looked smoking hot in them."

"Oh yeah?" Ino countered, her voice shifting to a lower, sultry tone. "I guess you enjoyed our performance at half-time then, huh?"

She sidled closer to Kiba, smiling coyly and Sakura felt Shikamaru tense beside her just as he was lighting up.

_For a genius, he's not very discreet about his feelings,_ she thought to herself, as all sorts of matchmaking plans began flourishing in her mind.

"Are you kidding, you girls were amazing!" Kiba exclaimed cutting into Sakura's thoughts. "You were the hottest shit out there, aside from your coach of course. What was her name again?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Uzuki Yuugao and she's engaged."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep, to Hayate-sensei," Ino added and then laughed at the appalled looks on the boys' faces.

"No shit, Hayate-sensei? The geography teacher with the chronic cough?" Kiba exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes and they're a really sweet couple actually," Sakura told him with a sly smile as Ino agreed.

Kiba shook his head. "I'd rather not know."

"Anyway, the girls and I are headed back to my place for now, but we'll see you at the party, okay?" Ino told them, pulling out her car keys as she spotted Hinata from a distance. "If you're lucky we might actually make it before midnight."

She winked at Kiba teasingly but before the Inuzuka could retort, Neji cut them off.

"Without Hinata," he stated.

"Sorry, what?" Ino asked, her smile fading.

Neji turned his pale eyes on the blonde. "Hinata won't be going to the party."

"Why the hell not?" Ino demanded, frowning in return.

"Because she shouldn't be attending parties like Kiba's in the first place," he informed her coldly just as Hinata approached them.

"Hey, what are you guys talking -"

"Dude, are you fucking serious?" Kiba exclaimed angrily, cutting her off as he turned to face Neji. "Everyone will be there to look out for her, just let her go."

"Oh…" Hinata spoke quietly, more to herself than to the group, "…that."

"Really?" Neji asked, his stern gaze looking disapprovingly at Kiba. "Because you plan on staying by her side the entire night, sober? You plan on turning a blind eye to your own party to ensure she's safe at all times?"

"Kiba's not the only one who'll be there," Ino added, as Kiba seemed at a loss for words.

"Don't make me laugh, Yamanaka," Neji said harshly, turning to face her. "When's the last party you attended without getting completely wasted?"

Sakura held her breath as she felt Ino's anger skyrocket and Shikamaru flinch at Neji's words.

"Like you're any better," her blonde friend bit back, her blue eyes narrowed.

"That's my point," Neji answered calmly. "None of us will be in the right state of mind to look out for Hinata all night and make sure she stays safe. Therefore, she's not going."

"Tch," Ino growled in annoyance before turning to the Hyuuga heiress. "Hinata, say something."

"Ino, it's okay, I don't mind, really," Hinata told her quietly, although her attempt at a smile didn't convince Sakura.

"I'll watch out for her," the pinkette finally spoke up, all eyes turning towards her. "I wasn't planning on drinking tonight and I'll be with her and the girls all night in any case, so it's no problem at all."

"You won't drink?" Neji asked, looking skeptic.

"Nope, nothing," Sakura promised, shaking her head. "I feel exhausted after today's performance and I don't want a repeat of last Friday, so no alcohol for me. Besides, Okyo will be there too and she won't be drinking either. She specifically said she would looking out for the squad as a responsible captain."

Neji seemed convinced enough by Sakura's words. "Fine, but just make sure Hiashi-sama agrees to it first."

Hinata nodded, silently thanking Sakura as Neji looked away.

"So what's keeping up Tenten?" Shikamaru suddenly asked, gazing sharply at Ino, who gave him a dark look in return.

_He obviously knows about Shun and purposely brought it up_, Sakura realised, noticing Neji's head whip around at the mention of Tenten. _Well two can play that game._

As Ino and Hinata struggled to find an excuse, Sakura answered instead. "She was kept behind by that hot Tanzaku player. What was his name again? Shinji, Shuichi…?"

"Shun," Neji stated through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah… Shun," Sakura continued before turning to the girls. "I thought he played really well, right girls?"

Ino smirked in return as Hinata quietly agreed.

"Aw, shit, I forgot about Shun," Kiba piped up, casting an anxious look towards Neji. "He'll also probably be there at the party tonight."

"Tanzaku's invited?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, we have some old buddies who go to Tanzaku High now and we only really see them during games so I always make sure to invite them. However, Naruto wouldn't shut up about the party in the locker rooms and pretty much invited everyone else as well."

"Dumbass," Shikamaru muttered, looking up at the cloudy sky as he blew out smoke rings.

Tenten suddenly appeared at the school entrance, making her way towards them.

"Great, well we'll see you guys later," Ino told the boys as she grabbed her car keys from her purse.

"Have fun at Ichiraku's," Sakura added and after everyone had said their goodbyes, the girls moved towards Ino's white sports car.

"Nice thinking, Sakura," Ino whispered, looking quite gleeful as Tenten headed their way. "It's going to be so much fun torturing the two of them tonight."

Hinata, catching on, didn't seem so convinced. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Ino, however, was already lost in her scheming thoughts. "Tonight is going to be so much fun!"

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Two hours into the party and Naruto was drunk.

Sasuke wouldn't have minded so much if his already energetic best friend didn't turn into a hyperactive spaz everytime he got shitfaced and if Sasuke didn't feel compelled to make sure the idiot kept away from the hard stuff.

By ten the whole neighbourhood could hear the party but that didn't stop Kiba, who was busy shouting over the loud music trying to gather his teammates.

"Konoha! Time for some shots!" he yelled causing an uproar of cheers before he spotted Sasuke in the crowd. "Uchiha! Get your ass over here!"

Sasuke followed into the kitchen, leaving Naruto behind talking non-stop to a bunch of fangirls, recounting every minute of the game to them.

"Here." Kiba thrust a small shotglass in his hand and Sasuke stood with his team.

"Where's Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, looking behind him.

"Already wasted."

Shikamaru gave him a knowing look before turning back to Kiba, who was giving yet another toast to Konoha's victory.

"Go Shinobi!" he finished, lifting his glass high before downing the clear liquid.

Sasuke and his team followed suit and soon everyone was cheering again and clapping the players on the back.

"Sakura-chaaan!" a voice erupted behind him and Sasuke turned to see Naruto barrel his way to the front door as the four girls had arrived.

Sakura looked displeased to see him drunk as he pulled her into a bear hug, but smiled all the same, laughing at him. He pulled her inside and she followed him, scolding him as he bumped into people and apologising on his behalf.

Sasuke couldn't help but notice how the pinkette seemed to outshine everyone. She was wearing a short summer dress that showed off more skin than Sasuke liked but that made her legs look long and slender. Her hair, straight and sleek, was swept to one side and her silver necklace was teasingly hidden within her cleavage.

"Teme! Sakura-chan's here!" Naruto boomed, clapping Sasuke's shoulder before heading to the bar. "Let's do shots!"

"Naruto, I'm not drinking tonight," Sakura lectured him, "and you definitely shouldn't be doing anymore shots."

"What? But I wanna!"

Sasuke watched half-amused as the two of them continued to bicker until Naruto spotted Hinata in the crowd and stumbled away.

"Jesus! How is he so drunk already?" Sakura asked, whirling around to face him.

"Kiba challenged him to a drinking contest," Sasuke deadpanned before grabbing a red cup. "What do you want?"

"It's alright, I can get my own drink."

He gave her a look and she merely stared back at him, raising a perfectly shaped pink brow.

"Sakura," he growled annoyed and she relented with a sigh.

"Just juice, please. Anything is fine."

He gave her a cup of apple juice and poured his own drink with a large dose of whiskey.

"I hope you didn't forget about our deal."

He watched her stiffen before she shook her head. "Of course not."

"Good, I'll come find you when it's time." Not waiting for an answer, he pushed past her, slipping through the glass door towards the outdoor patio.

He found a quiet spot, away from the drunken rowdy mass and lit up his first cigarette of the night.

"Uchiha Sasuke," a familiar voice called out behind him and Sasuke turned his head to find a silver-haired man with slicked back hair and purple eyes grinning at him.

_Hidan, _Sasuke thought with a growl. He should have known his brother's friends were bound to show up. After all, they all went to college with Kiba's cousin.

Deidara appeared beside the cocky silver-haired bastard, drink in hand.

"Yo Sasuke! Long time, no see," the Yamanaka heir told him, his eyes searching the crowd inside. "We saw your game on TV earlier, you played well."

"Yeah, good job man!" Hidan added, punching his shoulder lightly. "Keep it up and every scout in Fire country will be knocking at your door!"

Sasuke nodded silently, cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Say, you wanna join us tonight?" Hidan asked, retrieving his own pack of smokes from inside his jacket. "Kouta's having his own private gig back at his place."

Sasuke considered it for a moment, but their kind of partying almost always involved hard drugs and a bunch of handpicked girls he could never shake off. Not that he minded some nights. However, if Deidara and Hidan had shown up, then his asshole brother wasn't very far.

"Not really," he finally answered, noticing Deidara's attention was focused on something or rather someone else, inside the house. "You should ask the other guys."

He shifted slightly, turning to see Deidara's line of sight and spotted Sakura dancing and laughing with Ino in the middle of the lounge.

He suddenly felt annoyed.

"Gotcha," Hidan answered, before smacking Deidara's arm, jolting him back to their conversation. "Laters."

Sasuke watched the pair leave with narrowed eyes but before he could think more about it, his teammates drunkenly called out to him, shots in their hands.

A few hours later, Sasuke found himself sitting down on one of the patio chairs beside Neji surrounded by a crowd of groupies. He barely listened to the conversation around him, keeping an eye on a drunk Naruto instead, who was entertaining a couple of bikini-clad girls.

Beside him, Neji, beer in hand, was half-listening to some blonde chick's rant as he kept glancing through the windows at Tenten and her ex from Tanzaku, who stood by the bar happily chatting away.

Although the Hyuuga and him were friends now and had each other's backs after many years of hatred and rivalry, Sasuke still preferred to stay out of his friend's personal business and let him deal with his own shit. Whatever was going on with Tenten was his own business and Sasuke wanted no part in it, although he really hoped his friend would come to his senses soon.

Where were Kiba and Shikamaru when he needed them?

Thankfully, Tenten eventually broke away from Shun as Sakura approached them and traded places with her friend by the bar. Neji immediately seemed to relax and Sasuke kept a sharp eye instead on the new couple talking and laughing inside. It unnerved him the way Sakura seemed to draw so much attention. Already Deidara had his eye on her and Shun looked positively smitten. Even at school, Sasuke had caught more than one guy openly checking her out and it annoyed him.

A lot.

He wasn't sure why he was reacting the way he did. After all, it wasn't any of his business if guys wanted to hit on her. Or perhaps what disturbed him most was the fact that Sakura was ignorant to her own appeal. She didn't seem to realise the attention she drew and how eventually she would be drawing trouble to herself - and to the group.

Sasuke's attention broke away as the glass door slid open and Tenten stepped through followed by a couple of cheerleaders he didn't recognise. He noticed the brunette's head turn to face them as she heard high-pitched laughter and her gaze immediately hardened as she spotted the blonde groupie leaning over Neji. Sasuke watched from afar as Tenten finished her drink and excused herself from her friends before stomping off into the dimly lit garden. It seemed he wasn't the only one to notice as he saw the Hyuuga stare out in the direction she had headed.

Neji's pale eyes betrayed his internal struggle and Sasuke silently wondered what his friend would do next. They weren't counting on a drunken Naruto to suddenly appear behind them.

"Neji!" he bellowed, pushing his way past the blonde and jolting the Hyuuga from his thoughts. "What the fuck are you waiting for?"

Sasuke smirked at his best friend's lack of subtlety although his words seemed to be the kick the Hyuuga needed.

"What's that idiot saying?" one of the girls asked, giggling beside them.

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Who cares? He's obviously drunk. Just ignore him, Neji."

However, the Hyuuga stood up instead, excusing himself as he left his empty bottle on the table and disappeared into the garden.

The blonde seemed determined to follow.

"Leave him," Sasuke ordered, standing up himself and stabbing out his cigarette in the nearest ashtray. He headed back inside choosing to ignore the confused looks around him.

It was about time to remind Sakura about their deal.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura stepped outside into the gardens looking for Ino. The house was packed full with Konoha High students plus many of Kiba's friends from other high schools Sakura had never met before. However, as she had predicted, since their stunt at the game, everyone had wanted to meet the squad and the pink-haired flyer. Guys had been flocking to the cheerleaders since they'd arrived and although Sakura had appreciated the sudden attention, it made it hard for her to keep track of Hinata and the girls.

Unfortunately as soon as she stepped outside, she realised the patio was just as crammed as the house and it was impossible to spot Ino anywhere. Naruto and his teammates were doing shots on the terrace surrounded by a cheering crowd whilst others made use of the pool jumping and pushing each other in.

Sakura narrowly avoided getting soaked by some drunken girls in the pool and continued down the main path, looking around for her blonde friend. She knew it was a lost cause but she was glad to be outside getting some fresh air. It had barely been a couple of hours since she'd arrived at the party and she already felt tired. The game and routine had completely zapped her energy and she had half a mind to leave early if it weren't for her stupid deal with Sasuke.

"Pink."

Sakura looked to her left and was surprised to find Deidara slouching beside a small gate leading out of the garden, smoking a cigarette.

"Oh hey," Sakura greeted him. It was so dark in the garden away from the house that she barely recognised him if not for the long hair. She was glad to find a familiar face but as she approached, she noticed Deidara's eyes give her a once over and felt a blush spread on her cheeks.

Naruto's words suddenly echoed in her head.

"_Oh don't be so naïve, Sak. Dei's probably been with half the girls in Konoha and he was looking at you like you were his next fuck."_

She paused before trying to lighten up the mood. "So, I see you're hanging out with us high school kids again."

"I'm waiting for a friend to show up," he explained, exhaling a ring of smoke, his blue eyes still watching her closely. "He wanted to find Shikamaru before we head off. What are you doing out here?"

Sakura shrugged. "Technically I was looking for Ino but it was just an excuse to come out and get some fresh air. I'm feeling pretty tired after today."

The smirk that grew on Deidara's lips didn't help to appease her nerves. "Oh yeah, I saw you guys on TV. That was pretty impressive for your first time."

"Thanks," she answered with a small smile. Silence fell between them and Sakura slowly realised that talking to Deidara, who she barely knew, at night and with no one around was rather unsettling. Especially with the way he was looking at her.

"So where are you headed?" Sakura spoke again, realising he hadn't explained anything.

Deidara tilted his head towards the rest of the Inuzuka compound behind him. "Kouta's. He's doing his own thing tonight."

"Private party, huh?" she pursued, intrigued.

He merely nodded, studying her face for a minute before adding. "It's clan members only, but I can get you in. Wanna come?"

Although his tone was quiet, the challenge in his eyes was clear.

_Booze, drugs and sex…_ her Inner voice answered for her. _Are we really doing this again? _

"Not really," Sakura told him in all honesty.

"Thought so," he said, stepping forward, a smile in the corner of his lips. "Not your thing?"

Sakura repressed the urge to take a step back. "Not anymore."

He stopped when he heard her. "Really? Interesting… Maybe next time then."

_Maybe never_, Sakura thought, not liking his arrogant attitude. It was time to head back to the house.

"I'd better head back to the girls before they look for me. I'll see you around."

She didn't wait for him to answer before she gave a small wave and turned on her heel. Whatever Deidara or other clan heirs were offering, she had promised herself – she wouldn't go down that path again.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>"Hinata, I thought the plan was to bring Neji inside," Ino steamed, appearing out of nowhere behind Sakura in a drunken state.<p>

"Where the hell were you?" Sakura immediately demanded, shouting over the loud music as she gripped both Ino and Hinata and dragged them to a more quiet corner.

Ino barely looked at Sakura as she stared distastefully at Tenten and Shun standing by the bar. "I was outside," she answered impatiently. "I was merely taking advantage of our recent rise in popularity."

_You're already the most popular girl in Konoha High_! Sakura almost bit back.

"Was he at least hot?" she asked with a sigh, figuring that Ino had been shamelessly flirting with some guy while Sakura had been looking for her.

"Oh yeah," Ino confirmed with a large smile.

"I couldn't find a decent excuse to get Neji inside," Hinata cut in, sipping on her soda. "But I got Shun to get Tenten a drink and she joined him by the bar."

"And that's right in Neji's line of sight!" Ino realised seeing the Hyuuga sitting on the terrace through the window. "Brilliant, Hinata!"

"How long have they been chatting together?" Sakura asked, wondering if she was right to go along with Ino's crazy match-making plan.

"I don't know… a while I guess," Hinata told them before glancing at her cousin. "Neji nii-san's definitely spotted them but he hasn't moved from the patio at all. It's like he doesn't care."

"Oh he cares alright," Ino interjected angrily, no doubt remembering how angry the Hyuuga got at the nightclub. "We just need to get them together now, just the two of them."

Hinata shook her head. "I don't want to take part in this anymore. He would be furious if he found out we were meddling. And so would Tenten."

Sakura wholeheartedly agreed, she would hate for anyone to interfere with her love life like this.

"Ino, remind me why we're doing this again?" Sakura asked, watching how relaxed Tenten seemed to be in Shun's presence.

"Because Tenten is in love with Neji!" Ino stated without any hesitation. "She has been for years and even though she dated Shun, she broke up with him because she knew she could never love him like she does Neji. And no matter what Neji says or how he behaves, he loves her back."

Hinata nodded in confirmation and Sakura bit her lip wondering what to do next. If Tenten was ever going to have a chance with Neji tonight, then they had to distract Shun's attention from her.

"Then we better pray that our plan works because otherwise Tenten will have our heads," she stated, coming up with a plan. "Fine, I'll take care of Shun and find an excuse for Tenten to head outside. Then all we can do is hope that Neji will get his ass in gear and go talk to her."

"I think you're putting too much faith in the ice-block," Ino commented as she downed her drink. "But I have an idea to get Tenten away. Leave it to me!"

She disappeared in the crowd, dragging Hinata along with her as she made a beeline for the couch where half the cheerleader squad were chatting and drinking.

_Hinata, don't let her do anything stupid_, Sakura silently prayed as she made her way through the crowd towards the bar.

"Tenten, hey!" she exclaimed as she reached her friend. "Man, this party is crazy! And there are so many people around I've never even seen before."

She paused, looking at Shun as if spotting him for the first time before she gave him a sweet smile.

"Oh hi, I'm Sakura," she greeted him with a little wave.

"Shun," he answered, smiling in return.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you guys, I was just hoping to get a drink," Sakura added quickly, noticing the incredulous look on Tenten's face. She then maneuvered around Shun, softly sliding up against him as she reached out to catch a red cup.

Shun deftly caught it with his fingers. "Allow me," he told her, turning towards the bar. "What would you like?"

Just then, Kaori and Kagura showed up behind Tenten.

"Tenten, we were looking for you everywhere," Kagura started, discreetly winking at Sakura as she began to drag the brunette away. "Okyo was looking for you, she needs your help with something…"

"Tequila with any mixer is fine," Sakura spoke again, jolting Shun's attention back to her as she smiled and brushed up against his arm. "If you can find any orange juice left, that'd be great."

She waited as he made her drink and handed it to her before asking her about the game and her performance. Sakura played along, answering his questions and making small talk as she watched Tenten follow the girls through the crowd towards the patio out of the corner of her eye.

"Sorry, I promised my friend to bring her a drink," Sakura excused herself, holding the red plastic cup up. "It was nice meeting you."

She ignored the disappointed look on Shun's face and pushed back through the crowd towards the lounge where she knew Hinata and Ino would be waiting.

Before she could reach them, a hand gripped her elbow and gently tugged to one side. Sakura wheeled around to find Shikamaru. He was casually leaning against the wall, looking slightly disheveled, and with one arm wrapped around a drunken girl Sakura had never seen before.

"It's not going to work," Shikamaru drawled as the girl got on her tiptoes and slowly started kissing his neck. "You think Neji won't see right through Ino's schemes?"

Sakura, trying to ignore the other girl's actions, grinned at him instead. "Really? Because I think all he cared about was watching Tenten having a good time with Shun."

She then discreetly nodded at the girl wrapped around him. "Who's that?" she mouthed.

Shikamaru merely shrugged.

_This guy has no shame…_

"They'll both kill you if it doesn't work out," he added, returning to their conversation.

"Yeah, we realised that but hopefully things will turn out alright," Sakura told him, noticing that Neji had left his seat outside.

Shikamaru grunted in acknowledgement spotting the same empty seat as her. Sakura smirked at him, all kinds of triumphant, until she noticed the Nara's dark eyes gleam with amusement.

"Looks like you have another problem on your hands," he calmly pointed out, looking straight ahead.

Sakura followed his line of sight and felt her pulse quicken as dark, obsidian eyes watched her across the room.

Sasuke.

_Damn, I guess it's time._

He tilted his side to one side, gesturing for her to find him. Sakura nodded and quickly made her way through the crowd ditching the red cup still in her hand as she passed by a table.

Sasuke casually waited in the shadows, leaning against a wall, hands in his pockets. Sakura couldn't lie to herself, he looked amazing in the dim lighting with his dark looks and brooding attitude and she couldn't blame the girls around them for checking him out too.

Unfortunately, as soon as she approached him, the girls' stars turned into scowls, giving Sakura pause. The cold treatment and jealous stares she immediately received were eerily familiar and she had a feeling kissing Sasuke in front of all those girls would be the same as signing her own death warrant.

"Took your time," Sasuke said coolly, instantly reminding Sakura why he infuriated her so much despite his looks.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't know you were in such a hurry."

Sakura didn't notice Sasuke eyeing her necklace until she felt his fingers wrap around her chain and pull out her pendant.

"What are you doing?" she hissed sharply, knowing what his actions would look like to the spectators around them.

Sasuke stared down at the silver dream-catcher, slowly brushing his thumb over it as Sakura felt her face flush red.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" he asked sweetly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don't you remember the deal we made?"

_Yes, but there's no need to make it even worse! _Sakura wanted to scream at him, spotting girls left and right glaring at them whilst his hand was practically touching her cleavage.

Snatching back her pendant, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm instead and pulled him through the nearest door. "Follow me."

He silently complied and she rapidly closed the door behind them and switched on the lights. It seemed they were in some sort of study with a cluttered desk, a fireplace and a small couch. Sakura thanked her lucky stars that they hadn't walked in on another couple making out or worse.

"I need a minute," Sakura explained weakly noticing Sasuke questioning her with a raised eyebrow as she paced about the room, wondering what the hell to do next.

"I was under the impression that we had made a deal," Sasuke said hotly, gripping her elbow as she passed by him. "A deal that you agreed to."

He stared her down, holding her in place while Sakura kept her eyes ahead.

"I just need a minute," she repeated, trying to think.

His grip tightened. "Sakura, get your shit together –"

"I know!" she cried out, wrenching her arm out of his grasp and finally meeting his angry glare. "I'm not trying to get out of this. I made a promise and I'll go through with it, but once I do this… once I kiss you out there with every girl from our school watching, I am going to be enemy number one _again_. All the girls are going to hate my guts _again_ and I'll have to watch my back every second of every day because your groupies will be coming after me just like Ami did, so just give me a fucking minute, okay?"

He remained silent at her outburst and Sakura suddenly felt terrible for losing her cool. After all, it was her own fault for getting caught up in his deal in the first place. She should never have made up that stupid lie.

"We don't have to do this," Sasuke spoke up after a while.

"What? No, Sasuke, I'm sorry," Sakura apologised, feeling even worse that he was suddenly letting her off easy. "I didn't think about the shit you went through when I made up that rumour so it's only fair that I help you. Besides, a deal is a deal and I'll see it through."

"You don't have to go out there."

"But -"

"I don't want anyone else to target you like Ami did," he said, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

Sakura hesitated, stunned by his words.

Why was he being so nice to her all of a sudden? Why was he dropping the deal like it was nothing? Once again, he was suddenly showing her a different side to him. She always expected him to behave like he always had as Naruto's arrogant and stuck-up best friend, but since she had arrived in Konoha his behaviour kept surprising her.

It seemed Sasuke Uchiha still remained a complete enigma to her.

His expression remained resolute and Sakura had no other choice than to finally agree with him.

"Okay. Then I guess I'd better leave before people get the wrong idea." Her voice was quiet and she wanted to kick herself for sounding so weak in front of him. Wanting to leave the room as soon as possible, she brushed past him but froze when his hand abruptly clasped around her wrist.

"Hold on," he murmured, close to her ear, "I said you didn't have to go out there… but I never said anything about the kiss."

_Wait, what? _

Sakura turned her head around and immediately noticed that he was close – way too close. She watched speechless as his free hand came up to her face and gently brushed her hair behind her ear.

_Get a grip, you silly girl_! her Inner self screamed in the back of her mind.

"Oh… um… then I guess -"

She paused, noticing the way his dark eyes were focused on her lips, and licked them before she could stop herself.

"- we can -"

Needing no further confirmation, Sasuke bent down and kissed her. It was sweet and chaste and not at all what Sakura was expecting. His warm hands slowly trailed up her arms and she let him back her against the nearest wall as she kissed him back.

His lips grew insistent and Sakura's mind went blank as she finally submitted to him and he deepened the kiss. She let his tongue explore her mouth as he threaded one hand in her hair whilst the other gripped her waist tightly, holding her in place.

He tasted like whiskey and cigarettes and something else she couldn't define. Something exciting yet dangerous at the same time and it turned her on. Kankuro's kisses were always rough and hard but they never gave her the rush Sasuke was giving her then – they never made her feel so alive.

Her hands slowly traveled up to his chest before settling on his open collar, pulling him closer. His hard body followed her demand and pressed up against hers. Soon a soft moan escaped her and she felt Sasuke smirk against her lips. The hand on her waist slipped lower and ignited something within her that she hadn't felt for a long time. Something akin to fire raced through her veins with everyone of Sasuke's touches and Sakura craved for more.

_Oh God!_

"Sakura-chaaan!"

Naruto's slurred voice caused them both to stiffen.

"Sakura-chaaan, you in there?" the blond continued, banging on the door. "M'not feelin' good."

They broke apart and green eyes stared into obsidian ones as they stood face to face, breathing heavily. Sakura's mind could barely process everything that had just happened.

_I made out with Sasuke. _

_I just made out with Uchiha Sasuke._

And the way he was staring at her then, with fire in his eyes and his feel of his hands still lingering on her, she wanted to do it again.

"Saaak?" Naruto called again beyond the door and it took all of Sakura's strength to rip her gaze from Sasuke's and answer him.

"Yeah, I'm here," she called back, breaking the moment between them for good. Sasuke took a step back as Sakura turned to face the door, smoothing her hair.

She paused before opening it, wondering whether she should turn to say something before leaving but Naruto's loud thumping interrupted her yet again.

_I'm going to kill him_, she thought darkly as she opened the study door and slipped through, pushing her drunken best friend out of the way.

"Sak'ra-chaan," he whined pitifully, looking slightly pale and smelling strongly of alcohol. "I feel sick."

"Jeez, I wonder why," Sakura told him with a sigh before helping him through the crowd and away from the study. "Let's get you some water and then to bed. You can stay at mine tonight since you're too wasted to get to bed yourself. My mom should be finishing her shift at the hospital soon so she can probably pick us up."

Naruto slumped against her shoulder, scowling at her words. "Yo'mom? No way, she'll kill me."

_Not if I kill you first._

Sakura steered him through the crowd, although her mind was still in the study, with Sasuke and their mind-blowing kiss. She barely noticed Okyo appear before her.

"Sakura, you okay?" Okyo asked, shaking her head at Naruto's state. "Here, I got you a water bottle."

"Okyo, you're a lifesaver, thank you," Sakura praised her captain, maneuvering Naruto towards the front door. "Could you tell the girls I'm taking Naruto home and make sure Hinata gets home safely?"

"Sure thing, although Hinata already left with Tenten and Neji," Okyo informed her and Sakura didn't miss the sly undertone in her words.

Saying her goodbyes, Sakura eventually got Naruto outside and managed to sit him down on the frontsteps with great difficulty.

"Hey… Sak'ra-chaan… why are yo'lips so red?" Naruto questioned, his blue eyes peering up at her.

Slightly panicked by his question, Sakura thrust the bottle in his hands before turning away from him. "Naruto, just shut up and drink your water."

Ignoring the goofy smile he sent her way, she took out her phone and called her mom.

**..~**~..**

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><p><strong>So there you have it. For those of you wondering about Itachi, he should show up in the next chapter or two. I have plans for him.<strong>

**Is it me or are there fewer SasuSaku fics around lately? Am I not looking in the right places? I'm in need of good, recent SasuSaku fics so if you have any, please send them my way!**

**Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter. If you did, let me know! :) **

**sai xx**


	15. To Tease and to Trust

****Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any shape or form nor the song "Hello" by Martin Solveig and Dragonette - I'm just spreading my love for these with the rest of the world. ****

**Wow, I thought I'd never get this done! Sasuke is such a hard character to write I find. I am seriously in need of a beta-reader so if you are a SasuSaku fan and have some free time to spare to help improve this fic, send me a message!**

**This chapter is dedicated to sasukesoneandonly, my 250th reviewer, and the anonymous fan who is my 260th reviewer. Thank you for all your supportive reviews and your awesome fic recs, it was great to catch up on some SasuSaku fics!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

****..~**~..****

* * *

><p>Sakura looked up from her bowl of cereal and smiled as she caught sight of her sleepy best friend slowly making his way downstairs wearing only his jeans.<p>

"Morning," she called out to him softly from the couch, trying to ignore the way his faded jeans were slung low on his hips, showing off his well-built torso. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I should be," he answered, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "Is your mom still asleep?"

"Yeah, she's got the day off today."

"You got any food? I'm starving!"

Sakura laughed softly and followed him into the kitchen. "Help yourself to anything you want," she said, getting him a plate before pouring him some orange juice. "There's toast, cereal and I also made eggs."

Naruto slumped into the kitchen stool beside her. "Thanks Sakura-chan, you're the best."

"Are you saying that because I made breakfast or because I took care of you last night?" Sakura teased, setting down a couple of aspirins beside his plate.

"Both," Naruto chirped, a large grin splitting his face.

"I'll go find you something to wear, hold on," Sakura told him, heading into the nearby utility room and searching through the clean laundry. Itachi had snuggled himself into the pile of clothes and refused to move from his spot, no matter how much Sakura tugged on the clothes. Finally picking the cat up with one hand, Sakura retrieved an old Konoha baseball jersey that belonged to her dad and passed it to Naruto. "You can wear that to get home and return it to me later."

"You sure?" Naruto asked her, anxiously eyeing the item of clothing.

"Don't worry, it's fine. My mom won't mind," she told him with a smile as she dropped the cat on one of the bar stools.

Naruto took the shirt and slid it on. Funnily enough, it fit him rather well.

"So, last night was pretty crazy," Sakura spoke up, grabbing a mug to make herself some tea. "I'm supposed to meet the girls this afternoon to talk about it. Apparently Tenten has _news_."

"News?" Naruto repeated, serving himself to some eggs.

"Yeah, about her and Neji," Sakura explained, pouring hot water into her mug. "I think they're dating. They were headed home together last night."

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed, clearly stunned by the news. "So it finally happened, huh?"

"Guess I'll find out later," Sakura answered before settling herself down opposite him. "So what about you? Seemed like you were having fun last night. You were surrounded by girls practically the whole evening."

"Damn straight," he answered shamelessly as he wolfed down his food. "Girls can't get enough of me."

Sakura scoffed at him. "Pfff! Whatever you believe, Naruto. But seriously, isn't there one of them that actually interests you?"

The blond continued munching on his food, lost in thought.

"And I don't mean just for sex," she added as an afterthought.

It was an innocent question but one that intrigued her all the same. Of all the years she'd known Naruto, he was always falling in love left and right and had a habit of boldly declaring his love to everyone he knew except to the actual girl. However, since she'd moved to Konoha she had yet to hear of him mentioning anything of the sort. Shikamaru had told her he'd turned into a player just like the rest of the guys, but Sakura knew her best friend was a romantic at heart and was bound to fall in love again. After all, he had admitted being in love with her for the past three years…

"Not really," Naruto answered after a while, chewing on his eggs. "I mean there's actually this one girl I like but she's way out of my league so I've never thought about it seriously. Other than her, I guess there isn't anyone else for now."

Sakura sipped on her tea, watching him closely. She couldn't imagine anyone being out of Naruto's league – although she pitied the poor girl who'd have to keep up with his boisterous personality.

"How out of your league?" she finally asked him.

Naruto, opposite her, chuckled darkly. "Even if I were the last guy in Fire country, I still wouldn't be good enough for her."

_Sounds like a stuck-up bitch_, Sakura thought, wondering why Naruto was interested in such a girl.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked, noticing the way he was avoiding her gaze since she'd set him on the particular subject.

"Nope," he replied firmly before popping the two aspirins in his mouth and downing the rest of his juice.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

"We had a huge fight," Tenten began, once all four girls were settled down around a café table in the middle of Konoha's central plaza holding iced teas or coffees in their hands.

"What?" Ino choked out, sputtering on her drink. "What do you mean 'a huge fight'? If you're telling me we came all the way here just to -"

"Let me finish," Tenten cut off, giving her friend a stern look before continuing. "So I had stormed off through the Inuzuka compound and Neji stupidly came after me saying he wanted to talk. I was so angry and frustrated by his attitude last night that when he finally caught up to me and actually had to grab hold of my arm to stop me, I completely lost my shit. When I said we had a huge fight, it was actually pretty much one-sided. I yelled at him and told him what a bastard and a coward he was and literally everything else that was on my mind in that moment."

Ino gave a low whistle as Hinata's eyes went wide.

Sakura was just as stunned as her friends but felt proud that Tenten had stood up for herself and hadn't let Neji jerk her around anymore.

"Good for you!" she told Tenten proudly. "So, what did he say then?"

"Well what could he say?" the brunette answered with a sigh. "I was pretty much yelling at him non-stop, telling him all these awful things and he didn't even try to stop me once, like he knew he deserved it all."

She paused, taking a deep breath before a small smile lightened her face.

"And?" Ino demanded, literally sitting on the edge of her seat.

"He waited for me to finish and then pulled me into a hug. He said he was an idiot and a bastard for making me suffer so long and not making the right decision sooner, but that if I still wanted to be with him, he promised he'd never hurt me again."

It was almost comical the way Ino's mouth sagged open in shock.

"He actually said that?" Sakura asked, having a hard time picturing stiff, emotionless Neji saying those words.

"Yeah, pretty much… and then he kissed me," Tenten admitted, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as she seemed lost in her memories of the previous night.

Sakura turned to face Hinata, who giggled and smiled in return.

"Oh my God, details, Tenten, we want details!" Ino exclaimed, almost knocking over her coffee. "Did you two fuck already?"

Sakura snorted loudly at Ino's lack of subtlety as only years of Hyuuga decorum stopped Hinata from spewing her tea all over the table.

"Hey speak for yourself, Ino," Sakura retorted with a laugh. "I doubt Hinata wants to hear that."

"Yes, please spare me," Hinata added, wiping her chin with a napkin.

Tenten merely rolled her eyes at her blonde friend. "I'm not stupid enough to answer that. I know just how much you love to chat with the rest of the squad or should I say school, Ino!"

"But I'm your best friend!" the blonde whined.

"Tough luck," Tenten answered with a smirk. "But once you get yourself your own boyfriend, I'll be happy to trade details with you."

"Whatever you say, Ten, but I'll get them from you one way or another," Ino warned her with a sly smile.

"In any case," Sakura intervened before things got out of hand. "We're really happy for you, Tenten! I'm glad Neji came around and I hope things will go well for both of you now."

Tenten smiled in return. "Thank you."

Opposite her, Ino crossed her arms over her chest. "Damn, I guess I won't have any juicy details to trade with Shika tonight."

"Are you seeing him at the Akimichi's dinner?" Hinata asked, finishing her tea. "Chouji mentioned something about it last night."

"Yeah, his parents invited me to an early dinner party for my birthday," Ino explained vaguely.

Tenten gave her a look. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Ino rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine, it's for Shika's birthday as well. Whatever. It's not like he gives a shit. He probably asked that redhead slut from last night as his date and will end up making out with her the entire evening, ditching Chouji and me."

_Redhead? Wasn't the girl I saw him with a blonde? Did he end up with another girl?_

"You have to bring a date?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"Of course," Ino answered as if it were obvious. "I asked Hyou to be mine."

"So your birthday's coming up?" Sakura asked slightly confused. This was the first she'd heard of it.

"Oh God, I haven't told you?" Ino exclaimed, grabbing her phone from her purse before tapping the screen in quick successions. "It's next Saturday and I'm holding a huge party that evening at mine. I guess it's technically for Shika too but the bastard didn't help one bit with the organisation. You're invited of course, I'm sending you the details now. Keep it for yourself though, I don't want all of Konoha showing up next week."

Sakura nodded and Ino said her goodbyes to the group after a while to help her mother with flower arrangements for the evening.

"Have you guys bought her a present yet?" Sakura asked, turning to Tenten and Hinata as she slurped on her iced coffee.

Hinata shook her head. "No, that's why Tenten asked us to meet me out here so we can find something together. I hope you don't mind."

"No that's fine, I'd much rather spend my afternoon with you two than working on my Maths homework," Sakura joked as all three took off towards the shopping district. "So what on earth will Ino want that she doesn't already have?"

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sasuke threw down his pen in frustration. For three hours he had been locked up in his room trying to finish his damn History paper but it was useless.

He couldn't focus at all. Damn Sakura was constantly in the back of his mind.

Images from Friday night haunted him every time he was left to himself. All weekend he had tried to forget about the frustrating and annoying girl but for some reason, he simply couldn't. He couldn't dismiss the kiss they had shared as he usually did with the girls he made out.

Perhaps it was because things hadn't gone the way he had planned. Kissing Sakura like that in Kiba's study, away from the crowd and the lights, had seemed a lot more intimate than he had originally planned. He didn't particularly like playing games. He didn't want to turn into his brother and college friends who thrived on playing sick mind games. He had thought Sakura would back down from the bet or beg him to let her off the hook but instead he had willingly changed the terms for her. He didn't know why he'd reacted the way he did when she spoke of his fangirls. Perhaps he hadn't wanted a repeat of what had happened with Ami… or perhaps kissing Sakura in private had been the more tempting solution.

And so he had.

And somewhere along the line he had lost control and let his instincts take over. Something about that kiss had lit a fire within him that demanded to grow. He didn't know if it was her scent, her lips or the way she had felt in his arms, pressed up against him, but by the end of it, neither of them were there because of the stupid bet anymore… there had been something more.

A connection between them. And yet he knew next to nothing about the pink-haired girl and that was exactly how he preferred to keep it. He didn't need distractions right now. He had his life on track just like he wanted it. Playing ball for one of the best high school teams in Fire country with his friends, good grades and girls whenever he felt like it.

So then why was his mind only allowing him to think of Sakura? What was so special about her? Why did he feel the need to find out everything about her?

A soft knock pulled Sasuke from his thoughts.

His gaze flicked towards his bedroom door before landing back on his homework. He waited for whichever employee had decided to disturb him to speak up but the silence that followed made him tense. The only other person around was Itachi. There was no one else to fill up the large Uchiha mansion apart from the cook and the maids. Since their mother had died, their father was always away on business and hardly ever stayed with them. Fugaku's number one priority was and always had been the company and when Sasuke's mother had passed away, his father only made it more clear by disappearing months at a time. Since then Itachi had been in charge along with their uncle's occasional help.

"What do you want?" Sasuke finally bit out.

"We need to chat, little brother," Itachi's voice resonated through the door.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes before throwing down his pen and standing up.

"What?" he asked, opening the door halfway just enough to see his asshole brother on the other side.

"I heard you had a good time at Inuzuka's," Itachi's condescending tone greeted him.

For a second, Sasuke feared Itachi had found out about Sakura but he knew his older brother was merely trying to pry information out of him.

"It's a shame you didn't make it to Kouta's," Itachi drawled, "The guys had something special you would have liked."

He was talking about drugs of course. Ever since he'd become their father's right hand man and was making money for himself Itachi's lifestyle had turned for the worse. Fugaku turned a blind eye to everything his son did, but Sasuke was well aware of the shit Itachi did. After all, they had the same circle of friends.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked again, anger laced in his voice.

Itachi's obsidian eyes narrowed in turn. "Otou-san called. He won't make it to the council meeting on Friday, he wants you to be there with me."

There was a time when Sasuke would have jumped to the occasion. Anything to get to spend some time with his brother. There was a time when Sasuke admired his older brother and could count on him whenever he got into trouble, but not anymore. Not since the dipshit had taken his rightful place as heir of the clan and turned just as arrogant and obnoxious as their father. Not since the bastard never missed an opportunity to remind his little brother that he would always be second in line to him, no matter what, because Itachi was the Uchiha prodigy that excelled at everything. And not since his twisted brother had fucked Karin and made sure Sasuke walked in on them.

Sasuke could still vividly recall the hard glint in his brother's eye and the cruel smile on his lips when he had found them lying naked in his bed.

"What can I say, little brother," Itachi had taunted him that night. "I've always had a thing for redheads."

Now Sasuke couldn't give a damn about Itachi's wants and needs. Their father often missed Uchiha council meetings and Sasuke sometimes got to replace him, but never on Fridays.

"I can't, I have a game."

"Surely you can miss one game for an important clan meeting," Itachi countered.

"I can't," Sasuke repeated bluntly.

If Itachi was surprised by his words, he didn't show it. No matter what happened, his face always remained a perfect mask of indifference.

"Otou-san won't be pleased."

"And since when do I give a fuck about pleasing Otou-san?" Sasuke snapped at him before shutting the door in his face.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>Kiba's party was all the talk in school when Sasuke arrived on Monday. As usual the Inuzuka's wild parties was always something to brag about for those who attended and the craziest rumours always surrounded them.<p>

However, Kiba's party wasn't the only thing being discussed in the hallways. The basketball game, particularly the cheerleading squad's performance, was undoubtedly the main focus of most of the male student body's morning talk.

And judging from the sour look on the Hyuuga's face as he joined Sasuke by his locker, it seemed not many guys from their school were aware that Tenten was now considered off limits.

"Looks like you need to put the word out that you two are dating," Kiba greeted them, followed by Naruto, as they stared down the corridor.

Looking over his shoulder, Sasuke noticed several guys surrounding Tenten and Ino by their lockers, including Ryo and his friends. A dash of pink caught Sasuke's attention and his eyes narrowed as he spotted Sakura among them.

She was standing next to Ino with both her hands gripping her shoulder strap as she talked and laughed with Ryo. Her hair was loose except for her bangs that were pinned to the sides and Sasuke couldn't help but remember how soft the pink strands had felt when he had threaded his hand in it.

The image of her, however, was ruined by Ryo hovering too close.

"Asshole!" Naruto growled low, clenching his fists. "What the hell does Saeba think he's doing?"

Sasuke retrieved the last of his books and closed his locker. "Let's find out."

They walked down the hallway towards the girls with Kiba and Neji following. As soon as Tenten caught sight of them, she immediately made a beeline for Hyuuga and pulled him aside.

Sakura looked up and a bright smile lightened her face as she saw them. "Hey guys."

She quickly averted her eyes when she spotted Sasuke.

"Ryo and his friends were just telling us about their first game next Saturday," Ino informed them, her tone a clear message that she wanted them to play nice.

"I bet they were," Kiba answered, sizing the swimmers up.

Sasuke's eyes flicked to Ryo, who stared in return before moving slightly closer to Sakura.

"Yeah, the basketball game isn't the only one to be shown on local tv this year," the swimmer added and although his tone seemed light-hearted, Sasuke didn't miss the taunting look in his eyes.

"Let's hope you don't get your asses handed to you again like last year," Naruto countered, getting riled up.

His words immediately pissed off the other swimmers, who turned on him. Even Sakura shot Naruto a look, clearly telling him to 'behave' but the blond ignored it.

"That's funny coming from the team that got destroyed by Oto last year," one of Ryo's friends baited him.

Naruto's face darkened.

_They're looking for a fight and the dobe's falling for it,_ Sasuke thought, knowing Kakashi would have their heads if they got in trouble again.

Surprisingly, Ryo intervened, clasping a hand on his friend's shoulder who had kicked off from the lockers. "That's enough. Come on, let's head to class."

His friends slowly agreed, staring Naruto down before they turned to leave. Ryo turned towards Sakura and Sasuke stopped himself from lashing out at the fucker as he invaded her personal space.

"I'll see you in Biology," Ryo said in a low voice and Sakura nodded in return, a slight blush on her cheeks before he turned to leave.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Ino turned to glare at them. "You guys need to grow up and stop throwing a hissy fit everytime they come talk to us."

"They're complete assholes, Ino!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing down the hallway where Ryo had left. "You shouldn't hang out with guys like that."

"You heard the rumours about Ryo and the swim team - how they treat girls," Kiba added angrily, towering over her.

"They're just rumours, Kiba!" Ino bit back, standing her on ground. "Everyday this school is full of them and they're always bullshit."

Her words didn't seem to phase the Inuzuka. "They're just playing with you, Ino."

"As if you guys were any better," the blonde answered with venom in her voice before turning away. "Let's go, Sakura."

The pinkette followed her friend, the expression on her face leaving no doubt as to who she sided with.

"Find Shikamaru," Sasuke told Kiba and Naruto as they turned back to face him. "Make sure Ino didn't invite them to the party Saturday."

Kiba nodded as Naruto sighed running a hand through his hair.

"What the hell am I going to do if Ryo gets closer to Sakura?" Naruto complained.

"We won't let that happen," Sasuke said coolly, his dark eyes locked on Sakura's retreating back.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>School was uninteresting as usual and the only notable difference that day was the girls sitting with them during lunch again. Tenten and the Hyuuga sat together of course and so Hinata, Ino and Sakura had followed.<p>

Sasuke noticed that the pinkette chose to sit as far away from him as possible between Chouji and Ino, asking the Akimichi every so often about his bento and how he'd cooked its content.

Normally Sasuke didn't like being ignored but watching Sakura seem so uncomfortable around him after the kiss proved to be a lot more amusing.

Besides, he didn't miss the subtle glances she sent his way when she thought he wasn't paying attention.

English class was the most interesting class of the day. Due to seating arrangements, Sakura was obligated to sit next to him and Sasuke enjoyed watching the pink-haired girl squirm beside him.

"It's time for you to pick a theme for this semester's project," Kakashi announced half-way through class. "As I said before, you'll be pairing up with your partner and working on this project until the end of the semester so choose wisely."

The silver-haired English teacher then started writing up the various themes on the blackboard and Sasuke scowled. He couldn't care less about Jane Austen and her novels. Having to work on such a project for so long would be hell especially since at the end they were supposed to write a whole project report, give an oral presentation as well as write individual essays each month. It constituted a huge part of their English grades and Sasuke knew his father would expect nothing less than an 85 per cent.

He watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye. From what Kakashi had said, it was clear that they would be closely working together for the next several months and Sasuke wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't know much about her grades or how serious she was concerning schoolwork, but what he did know was that she had better not drag him down and pull in her weight with all the work Kakashi had piled up on them.

Checking the board again, he read through the list of themes and tried to figure out which one would suit them best and be easiest to work with.

Sakura picked up the handouts being passed around before handing him the stack of sheets.

"Is there a particular theme you want?" she asked him, keeping her eyes ahead on the board.

_Love, class, women and marriage, religion, morality, gender… _None of those sounded appealing to him.

"How about family?" Sakura asked, noticing his silence.

The word struck a chord within him and he wondered why she would even suggest such a theme knowing she knew the same loss as he did.

"We don't have to choose for now," she continued, looking through the printed handouts explaining how to go about planning and researching their project. "We still have till the end of the week to decide."

"Family is fine," Sasuke told her shortly.

Sakura nodded in return before jotting down some notes. "Okay, well we can start doing research then and meet-up at some point to discuss the report."

"Tomorrow, after practice," Sasuke stated. The earlier the start, the better. "We can meet in the library and start there."

Sakura looked back at him in surprise. "The library? Okay, well I thought perhaps we might work separately and discuss things during lunch or class…"

She trailed off and Sasuke quickly realised that she was just making up excuses. Clearly, the idea of meeting up just the two of them alone in the library made her uncomfortable.

The thought made him smirk.

"If you want a decent grade on this project, then I suggest that you meet me in the library after practice," Sasuke warned her, standing up as the bell rang.

Sakura immediately stood up beside him. "Hey, wait a minute, you can't just decide these things like -"

"Too late," he cut her off before walking away.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura huffed and puffed, droplets of sweat running down her face. She silently wondered what her chances were of lying down on the dojo mat for five minutes.

About zero percent.

"You think the first routine was hard?" Yuugao-sensei shouted at the cheer squad giving them a two-minute reprieve. "That was nothing compared to what I have planned for sectionals. And with every routine we will get _better_ and we will work _harder_!"

"_We_? What's all this _we_ about? I don't see her doing toe touches and backflips," Tenten mumbled beside Sakura, bent over as she tried to catch her breath.

Sakura nodded in agreement, downing the rest of her water bottle. "Seriously, I'm going to die before this training is over and I have to meet Sasuke in the library afterwards!"

"Oooh, you and Sasuke, huh?" Ino teased, stretching out beside them.

"It's for our English project," Sakura deadpanned, hoping to stop the blonde's imagination from running wild.

"Of course it is," Ino continued with a large smile.

"I heard the library's the best place to hook up after school activities are done," Tenten stated with a malicious smile.

Thankfully, Yuugao-sensei cut the conversation short. "Alright girls, let's start from the top and then move on onto stunts," she called out, clapping her hands.

Sakura placed herself between Hinata and Kagura feeling her muscles begin to ache. The start of the new routine was a little different from the previous one but Sakura suspected it had to do with the song their coach had selected. They hadn't heard it yet but apparently there was a few seconds of clapping at the beginning where they were told to engage the crowd as much as possible before the whole squad exploded into a complicated pattern of tumbling.

"Right, now let's do it to the real music this time, shall we?" Yuugao-sensei surprised them, switching CDs in the music player. "Alright, everyone in position… 3…2…1…"

The clapping began and Sakura followed the steps she was given, listening intently to the song and wondering what the hell it could be. As soon as the rhythm changed to an upbeat electronic beat, she immediately recognised it and a large smile lit up her face.

_I could stick around and get along with you__  
><em>_Hello oh-oh-oh-oh__  
><em>_It doesn't really mean that I'm into you__  
><em>_Hello oh-oh-oh-oh_

_P__erfect, _Sakura thought, her fatigue almost forgotten as she felt energised again.

Practice ran slightly longer than usual and after taking a quick shower, Sakura was almost half an hour late as she ran to the library. As expected, it was pretty much empty this early in the school year and Sakura quickly found Sasuke sitting in the far right corner hidden in the literary section, looking down at his Maths textbook, his pen tapping lightly on the desk.

She noticed he looked freshly showered, his raven hair tousled and his jaw clenched as he seemed focused on a particular problem. She was momentarily taken aback at how handsome he looked and felt her confidence wither away at the thought of spending the next hour studying beside him… just the two of them.

_What the hell was I thinking? How am I supposed to concentrate with Dark and Handsome sitting right next to me!_

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late," Sakura greeted him, choosing to sit opposite him rather than next to him. "I got here as fast as I could."

She dumped her shoulder bag on the table and quickly retrieved her notepad and pens refusing to look him in the eye. Things were certainly weird between them since the kiss at Kiba's party. Sakura hadn't known what to think of it and had preferred to ignore him. After all there was nothing to expect from Uchiha Sasuke.

He was a player, just like the rest of her friends. It had all been a game to him. And to her as well. They had made a deal, they saw it through, end of story – right?

"That's fine," he told her, putting away his textbook before pulling out Kakashi-sensei's handouts.

"So, I don't know how well you know Jane Austen but I've read a few of her books already," Sakura began, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. "I've already got a few ideas about our theme so I thought we could do some research about it – not only in her novels but also about her life, see what kind of family life she had and then go from there. Perhaps you should start with _Pride and Prejudice_ and I'll see what books the library has that we can use."

"Sounds good," Sasuke told her, already picking up his copy of the book and flicking through it.

Sakura looked up at him a little surprised he had agreed with her suggestion and left her seat to roam through the aisles and then the English Literature section. Finding a biography of Jane Austen among a few other interesting books, Sakura sat back down across from Sasuke and began reading through the texts.

As they sat together in silence, each reading to their own, Sakura felt the weight of Sasuke's stare on her after a while and eventually looked up. He was watching her with a calculating look in his eyes.

"What?" Sakura asked after a while.

"Why did you choose this theme?" Sasuke asked her, leaning back in his chair.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you choose 'family'?" he asked again, his face unreadable.

Sakura wasn't sure what he was getting at. "I dunno… I guess it's the only theme I could relate to in the list. Would you rather I had picked 'women and marriage'?" she teased.

"I thought you would shy away from the family theme," he stated without a beat.

Sakura's smile fell and her voice turned quiet. "Oh. You mean because of my dad?"

Opposite her, Sasuke nodded.

_Damn Naruto and his big mouth!_

"Has that idiot really told you everything about me?" she asked her voice stiff.

"Not everything."

She paused, wondering why the hell he was bringing this up right now and looked straight into his dark eyes that betrayed nothing.

"It's silly to shy away from it," Sakura finally relented with a sigh. "If anything losing my dad has shown me just how important family is. One day you're celebrating New Year's with your parents, cooking and laughing together and then the next…"

She trailed off, biting her lip before pushing painful memories aside.

"The point is, I think family is an important component of people's lives and Jane Austen understood that perfectly. I was really close to my dad and losing him certainly changed me – in good ways and bad. After all your family shapes you as a kid and losing a parent – well that will make you grow up real fast… wouldn't you agree?"

She gazed back at Sasuke, gauging his reaction.

_I'm not the only one Naruto talks about, _she thought to herself, remembering that Sasuke had lost his mother.

His eyes betrayed nothing and he remained silent. Sakura realised that he had no intention of giving her answer and was cutting the conversation short. Apparently he wasn't about to give her the courtesy of opening up about himself like Sakura had just done and his behaviour put her off. After all, was it too much to ask that Sasuke give her more than his cold demeanour once in a while? Weren't they somewhat – friends?

They spent the next hour reading, jotting notes, exchanging ideas and detailing a plan for their project. Sakura was actually glad that even though Sasuke seemed to despise Jane Austen like every other guy she knew, at least he was serious about his schoolwork. Naruto would have put in the minimum effort in a project like this and would have made Sakura do all the work. Having him as her partner would have driven her insane and she pitied Hinata for having to cope with him.

When it was time to leave, Sakura put her notes away before piling up the various books on Jane Austen she had pulled from the library shelves. She'd never be able to carry them all in one go.

"Do you need a ride home?" Sasuke asked across from her.

"Um, yeah… if you don't mind," she told him, giving him a grateful smile. He grabbed half the books from her pile, his hand brushing against hers as he did so and waited for her to show the way. She tried not to let his touch affect her nor the slight smirk on Sasuke's lips.

"After you."

Sakura headed off through the library, remembering her way around. As she walked she noticed the library was deathly silent and wondered if Sasuke and her were the only ones left.

Reaching the correct aisle, she stopped half-way down and began putting the books away.

"Most of these go here," she told Sasuke, keeping her back to him. "The smaller books go on the upper shelf."

She went about putting the books back and tensed when she felt Sasuke's warmth behind her, his body towering over her smaller frame as he deftly slid a couple of books on the higher shelf.

Sakura felt her face grow red but refused to say anything. She continued her task again but paused as she suddenly felt his hot breath tickle the back of her neck.

"What are you doing?" she asked after a pause, her voice almost a whisper.

"Nothing," his deep voice murmured close to her ear. "Why? Am I making you nervous?"

"Yes… no… I just…" she paused, frustrated with herself and with him for playing with her. He wouldn't talk to her earlier but apparently teasing her and watching her squirm was fine. What the hell did he take her for?

Angrily, Sakura turned to face him fully. "Seriously, what are you doing? Are you actually trying to get it on with me in the library?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed at her.

Sakura's eyes narrowed in anger. "Oh, so now I'm being ridiculous?"

"Sakura, what the hell -"

"No, don't 'Sakura' me!" she blurted out, suddenly feeling the need to punch his face in. "Just because we kissed that doesn't give you the right to feel me up in the library!"

He rolled his eyes at her. "You're being annoying!"

But Sakura wasn't finished. "I don't know what game you're playing at, but I don't like it and I don't trust you!"

She expected another round of insults from his part but instead he became deathly silent and his gaze turned hard.

_Oh so now he's taking offense because I told him I didn't trust him_, Sakura thought incredulously. Of course she had meant it in the way that she didn't trust him not to try anything with her – not that she didn't trust him as a whole – but obviously Sasuke had taken it the wrong way.

And judging by the way he had backed off and was quickly dumping the rest of the books on the shelves, Sakura knew she had better try to fix things now before their chances of becoming friends were completely ruined. Damn it, why was everything so complicated with him?

"Sasuke -" Sakura began with a sigh.

"Let's go," Sasuke cut her off stiffly before walking away as Sakura tried not to yell in frustration.

The ride home was awkward as hell and silent but Sakura didn't care and looked out the window lost in her thoughts.

What the hell was Sasuke's problem? Of course there was the fact that he was a clan kid, an Uchiha no less, and that they tended to have major trust issues due to their status and wealth, not to mention that Sasuke had already been betrayed by his ex-girlfriend, Karin. And sure Sakura hadn't always been the nicest person to him to start with but she had tried. And Sasuke's personality was just awful at times – she still remembered how cold and incredibly rude he had been with her on her first day. But here she was, meeting him in the library as he had asked, opening up about her dad to satisfy his curiosity even though it still hurt to talk about him and Sasuke gave her nothing in return – only a bad attitude and teasing. He was playing with her, in the same exact way Kankuro had played with her when they had first met and she knew exactly how those kind of flings ended.

It wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to be one of those girls Sasuke just screwed around with. She didn't know what she wanted to be exactly but at least being friends would be a good start. A friend she could count on and that she could trust. After all, didn't they both have Naruto in common as their best friend? Didn't she deserve more than his rude attitude and being shut out when she attempted to know him better?

She broke out of her thoughts as she noticed the car slow down and line up outside her apartment building. Grabbing her bag between her legs, she opened the passenger door, barely glancing at Sasuke as she intended to step out.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Sakura, wait."

She paused, turning back to face him as she waited for him to speak. She would listen to what he had to say, if only for Naruto's sake.

Sasuke was gripping the wheel with both hands his knuckles almost white as he continued to stare ahead. The vulnerability on his face surprised her and she unconsciously leaned closer towards him, curious as to his next words.

"About earlier," he paused, "I agree… with what you said."

Sakura looked back at him, confused.

"You asked me if losing a parent made you grow up quicker and I agree," he explained, his deep voice softer than usual. "My mother died when I was ten. After her death, my father devoted all his time to the family company, always leaving for business trips and meetings and never spending more than two or three days at home with my brother and I. My brother was starting high school then and between his schoolwork, training and student council I was lucky if I got to see him at home. I didn't realise it then but the day my mother died, my family completely fell apart and I was left by myself."

His dark eyes locked with hers and they held such a mix of emotions that Sakura felt at a loss. She had never seen Sasuke like this before.

"If not for Naruto and the others," he continued with blunt honesty. "I don't know how I would have turned out."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked him, confused.

"I'm telling you because I want to and I guess because I trust you."

Sakura felt a smile tug on her lips despite herself. "You trust me?"

"Aa."

Sakura ignored the way her insides reacted to his affirmation. How Sasuke managed to make her feel that way when she had clearly been angry with him just a few moments ago, she didn't know.

"Thank you, Sasuke. For being honest with me."

He nodded and she climbed out of the car again before shutting the door and waving goodbye.

Watching him speed off, Sakura was unable to keep the grin off her face. She didn't know what surprised her most, the fact that Uchiha Sasuke was starting to open up to her or the fact that she liked it.

A lot.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>So I'm sure you can guess the last part was the scene that gave me the most trouble - it was hard to keep Sasuke somewhat in character so I look forward to reading what you thought of it. I hope you enjoyed Itachi's small appearance - he'll be meeting Sakura very soon.<strong>

**Reviews keep me going, so please drop one and tell what you think :) **

**Have a fabulous weekend everyone!**

**sai xx**


	16. No-name losers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the song "Hello" by Martin Solveig and Dragonette - I'm just borrowing them for a little fun.**

**Urgh, I hate myself for being so late with this chapter, but I have a japanese exam coming up after tomorrow so all my free time has been spent studying! Also seriously guys, over 300 reviews?! I'm so blessed, thank you so much, your reviews are always awesome and inspire me so much, I love you all! :)**

**This chapter is dedicated to DiamondDreams789FIFi, my 300th reviewer, who has an awesome team 7 profile pic :)**

**Enjoy, it's extra long...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<br>**

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>"Tell me."<p>

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Naruto, tell me!"

"Nope, not happening."

"God, you're such an ass sometimes."

Naruto grinned brightly as he leaned next to Sakura's locker waiting for her. "I know."

"Fine if you're not going to tell me, then you can go away," Sakura retorted, slamming her locker shut in an attempt to convey her frustration.

"Sakura-chan, it's just a joke," Naruto chuckled beside her. "You don't need to get all worked up about it."

She sent him a cold look, as she shifted her strap on her shoulder. "Yeah well how am I supposed to know? You won't tell me what the damn joke is. I invited you over last night to help you with next week's Maths test and not only did you invite Shikamaru and Kiba along without asking me first -"

"But you like them," Naruto interjected, confused.

"- I actually helped you guys all evening wth homework, well except Shikamaru because let's face it the guy's a freaking genius, and I even cooked curry for all of you but all you did was spend the evening making fun of my cat."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Naruto apologised, failing at hiding his grin.

Sakura looked back at him skeptically. "If you're truly sorry then tell me what's so funny about my cat's name. Who else is named Itachi?"

"Don't you dare tell her, man!" a voice interrupted behind them.

Sakura turned to see Kiba behind them, followed by Shikamaru.

"It would ruin the glorious moment of her confronting Itachi in person," Kiba continued, a large smile on his tanned face.

"And making a fool out of myself?" she asked with a scowl. "Jeez, thanks guys! Remind me never to cook for you again."

She promptly walked away, ignoring Kiba's exclamation that he was just kidding and Naruto's footsteps trailing behind her.

"Sakura-chan, we're just joking," the blond called after her, eventually catching up.

"You know what?" she told him, suddenly noticing Sasuke further ahead beside his locker. "If you won't tell me who Itachi is, then I'll ask someone who will."

She hurried forward towards Sasuke, decided to ask him about Itachi. She felt a lot more comfortable around the Uchiha ever since he had opened up to her after their study session in the library. Something between them had changed. Sasuke seemed a lot more relaxed around her and sought her out a lot more at school than she would have thought. He no longer left whenever she joined him and Naruto and more often than not the raven-haired boy would sit beside her at lunch.

That was why she felt confident enough to approach the brooding Uchiha despite Naruto's protests behind her.

"Hey Sasuke," she greeted him swiftly. "So, who's Itachi?"

His reaction, however, wasn't what she had expected.

"What?" he answered, his voice cold as ice.

"I asked who Itachi was," Sakura repeated, hesitating slightly as she realised that asking Sasuke out of the blue might have been a bad idea.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" he asked scathingly.

Sakura remained speechless, Sasuke's words stinging her badly even though she had no idea what was wrong.

"Sorry, man, it's my fault," Naruto interrupted, stepping between them. "She seriously has no idea who Itachi is."

Sasuke paused, his narrowed eyes glaring from one face to the other.

"Whatever," he finally replied, still obviously pissed before walking away.

_What the hell was that?_ Inner Sakura yelled in the back of her mind.

"Sakura-chan -"

"Let's just get to class," she cut him off before turning away to greet Tenten, Hinata and Neji.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>Sakura remained frustrated and angry by the guys' stupid joke and decided not to mention Itachi's name for the rest of the day. She was afraid her stunt with Sasuke that morning might have shattered whatever fragile bond they had formed, but it seemed he remained his usual self - quiet and brooding.<p>

The week was already ending and Yuugao-sensei was driving the cheer squad even harder than before for their second routine.

Especially since the purple-haired coach was adamant in perfecting a new stunt.

"Alright, now hold it," Yuugao-sensei exclaimed, as Sakura's foursome practiced the scorpion. "You need to hold it for at least ten seconds before I'll be comfortable adding it to the routine."

Sakura kept her muscles tight and remembered to breathe through her nose as she kept her scorpion position: arms holding her left foot over her head as her right foot was held by Tenten, Hinata and Kagura.

"Beautiful, Sakura, " Yuugao-sensei encouraged her, standing closer to Kagura for support just in case. "Don't forget to smile though. Tenten, Hinata, Kagura get ready to turn clockwise. The public need to see your scorpion."

Sakura tried to keep her balance as her right foot shifted beneath her, slowly turning on itself. They had spent all week practicing this particular stunt and Sakura had trouble doing it in time with the music. She usually lost her balance before the end. Ino and Fuki had already perfected it, but they had been cheerleaders a lot longer than Sakura.

"Okay good, you guys are getting the hang of it," Yuugao-sensei called out, stepping backwards. "And now for the last part, kick twist. 1, 2, 3, 4…"

Sakura let go of her leg, wrapping it around herself with her arm as Yugao-sensei had taught her on Monday and twisted her body in the air before being caught by the girls.

"Your dismount still needs practice, Sakura," their coach finally told them, her face scowling slightly. "We'll practice on the trampoline more next week but since we're running out of time, we'll just go with a pop cradle dismount for now."

Sakura nodded, feeling slightly put off she'd be the only flyer sticking to the easier dismount.

"Don't worry about it," Tenten whispered behind her. "It took Ino months to manage a scorpion, you should be proud."

"You're doing great, Sakura," Hinata added with a smile, her cheeks red from their hard practice.

Yuugao-sensei clasped her hands as their routine song blasted through the CD player and the three groups immediately turned to face her.

"Alright, let's try the stunts together, from the beginning."

Sakura stood in position and closed her eyes a second, listening for her cue. Their coach had choreographed a series of stunts and made sure it synchronised with the last chorus of the song – the most powerful one.

The flyers were supposed to launch themselves in the air on the first "_hello_".

_I just came to say hello, hello, hello, hello_

_I'm not the kind f girl to get messed up with you, hello_

_I'ma let you try to convince me to, hello_

Barely thirty seconds of chorus. Thirty seconds to execute three different stunts flawlessly, ending with the scorpion and for Ino and Fuki, a kick twist basket toss. Thirty seconds to impress Yuugao-sensei or be stuck practicing in the dojo until she was.

"Very good, girls," their coach finally conceded, watching them critically. "You all managed to hit your cues just right and looked all synchronised. Now, let's do the whole routine again once more in five and then we'll call it a day."

Sakura suppressed a loud groan as she headed for the side benches with her friend, looking for her water bottle.

"So who's Konoha playing against tomorrow?" Sakura asked, realising she hadn't heard the guys talk much about the upcoming game.

"Takikawa," Tenten spat out, surprising Sakura.

"It's an elite high school near the border with Kusa," Hinata explained to her. "They're not very good, but what they lack in talent, they make up for in insults."

"They're fucking stuck-up assholes," Tenten supplied, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off her face. "They always try to rile the guys up during games."

"They gave Naruto-kun a really hard time last year," Hinata continued quietly, looking down at her hands and before Sakura could ask her more about it, Ino arrived to talk about her birthday party.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>"DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE!"<p>

Sakura shouted alongside the girls, although there was really no need to encourage Konoha's defense when they were clearly crushing their opponents.

Beside her, Ino waved her pompoms around excitedly, jumping and kicking and nudging Sakura to do the same.

"I don't see why they need us," Sakura exclaimed, trying to make herself heard over all the screaming and shouting behind them from the crowd. "It's not even half-time and they're obviously owning the other team."

Okyo beside them overhead the pinkette and gave her a stern look.

Sakura smiled sheepishly in return and resumed her chanting with the squad.

"Besides," she added more discreetly, stepping closer to Ino. "None of the players from Takikawa are cute."

"Why would you need to check out the guys from that lame school when our players are so much hotter?" Ino retorted, a sly smile on her lips as her blue eyes glanced appreciatively at the seniors running by.

"Maybe because they're all taken?" Sakura reminded her, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face.

Ino's smile widened as she nodded at the raven-haired player wearing the number 8 jersey and currently giving Takikawa's defense a hard time.

"Sasuke isn't," she stated simply.

Sakura shot her a look that clearly told the blonde what she thought of that idea. "That's not happening."

"And why not? You two seem to be getting really friendly with each other, he actually sits next to you at lunch," Ino continued, clearly unphased by Sakura's dismissal.

"It's only because we have to work together for our English project," the pinkette argued in return, cheering along with her teammates as Naruto dunked.

_Thank God I didn't tell Ino about the kiss!_

"Pfff… that's bullshit, Sakura," Ino teased her, keeping her gaze on the court. "Don't think I haven't noticed you checking him out when you thought no one was watching."

Sakura looked up in surprise at Ino, who winked in return.

"Don't worry, no one can fault you for that, I mean what's not to like?" Blue eyes turned to fix Sasuke once more. "At least you have excellent taste. And besides, Sasuke checks you out just as much."

At that, Sakura's head turned sharply towards the Uchiha, who ran past them, successfully driving the ball to the hoop and making a jumpshot. The crowd behind her erupted into loud cheers and Sakura tried not to let it affect her when the Uchiha's dark eyes sought her out.

_Don't let it get to you_, she berated herself, quickly looking away. _He's just a player, he isn't boyfriend material._

And yet, despite her thoughts, Sakura couldn't stop the smile tugging at her lips and ignored the knowing smile Ino gave her in return.

"Hey, what's up with Naruto?" Tenten interrupted them, turning to Sakura. "He looks like he's about to murder someone."

Sakura immediately looked out at the court again and spotted her best friend, being double-teamed, with a sour look on his face.

As far as she knew, Naruto thrived on challenges during games so Takikawa's defense strategy would normally thrill him and increase his already inflated self-confidence. Why then was his head downcast and his whole body tense with anger?

"I have no idea," Sakura admitted, feeling slightly guilty she hadn't noticed before. _What the hell's going on?_

The whistle blew loudly signalling half-time and Sakura tried to control her nerves as she realised it was time for the cheerleaders to do their thing.

The players stepped off the court, each heading to their respective sides and as the Konoha Shinobi headed to their bench where Gai-sensei waited for them, Sakura kept her gaze on Naruto hoping to catch his eye.

He eventually looked up and gave her a small smile.

"Are you okay?" she mouthed to him, concerned. It was pretty rare for Naruto to get so worked up like that.

He gave a short nod before turning his attention to Gai-sensei as Takikawa's cheerleaders invaded the court, ready to start their show.

Sakura turned towards her own teammates and tried to focus on Yuugao-sensei's words as she gave last minute advice.

"Alright girls, I know we didn't have much time to practice, but you are ready. Be careful on the stunts and bases be focused and ready at all times to catch the flyers. Falling on a hardwood floor is no joke. And one last thing, have fun and remember to smile!"

Once Takikawa was done, the Kunoichi took over the court. Sakura had to start from Takikawa's side of the court for the opening tumbling routine and alongside Tenten and Kagura, she approached warily. Once the opposing team noticed their presence, they were immediately assaulted with dirty looks and whistles from the players and Sakura immediately felt her face burn.

_Don't you dare let those assholes get to you_, Inner Sakura yelled in the back of her mind. _So you're showing a little skin, who cares? You're going to nail that routine and show them how awesome you are!_

Sakura took several deep breaths, ignoring everything around her until the music suddenly launched. All the cheerleaders started clapping in time to the opening of the song and enticed the crowd to follow their lead. Sakura kept a smile on her face despite her quickening heartbeart and counted down the beats inside of her head.

And just as the music picked up, all three girls launched themselves into a tumbling pass, crossing paths with other teammates in an intricate pattern they had practised all week, and ending with a scissor kick.

As the performance continued, Sakura did her best to jump, kick, dance and fly all in rhythm, making sure her body was taut and her lips smiling.

She never noticed Sasuke sitting on the bench, towel over his head, watching the show.

Never noticed the way his intense gaze was fastened on her.

_Kinda like this game but there's something you should know__  
><em>_I just came to say hello, hey_

Before Sakura knew it, the end note hit and she was facing Ino, doing the splits as the squad struck a final pose. The public erupted into loud cheers and whistles and Sakura felt relief flood through her. She had nailed her stunts and her cues and judging by the look on Yuugao-sensei's face, it seemed the routine had gone without a glitch for the rest of the girls as well.

The second half of the game began and the tension between Naruto and Takikawa began to escalate. Within minutes, Sakura noticed the players taunting him although she couldn't hear what was being said.

The rest of Konoha's players seemed just as pissed as Naruto about Takikawa's behaviour, increasing their number of steals and drives. The squad began to chant even louder for Konoha in support of Naruto and the blond scored point after point, smashing Takikawa's defense.

"Do you guys even know how to play basketball?" Sakura heard Naruto jeer at them as he ran to reposition himself.

_Don't taunt them, idiot,_ Sakura thought, noticing the dark look on some of the opponent's faces. They were clearly getting riled up in return and the tension between the two teams was almost palpable by the start of the last quarter.

"No-name loser… thinks he's better than us," Sakura overheard two of Takikawa's players as they stood close to the sidelines and turned to Ino, worried.

"Don't worry, the guys can take care of themselves," Ino tried to reassure her, but Sakura kept a close eye on Naruto nonetheless.

_This is going to end badly._

And what Sakura dreaded, eventually happened. As the Konoha seniors attempted a power drive, causing most of the players to crowd around the hoop, the players double-teaming Naruto used the frenzy around them to purposely shove the blond backwards.

Naruto fell hard on the ground and immediately the game stopped although the referee's whistle was barely heard over the outcry of the players and the crowd. Instantly Sasuke was by Naruto's side, giving him a hand up as the Konoha seniors pushed their opponents in retaliation and Kiba cried bloody murder from the benches.

The court turned into a mess of players intimidating each other with shoves and shouts and it wasn't until the coaches from both teams intervened that things eventually calmed down.

Sakura had never seen anything like it, but was glad to spot Naruto walking back to the bench, apparently fine, but still replaced by Shikamaru for the last few minutes of the game.

Tenten turned up beside her, shaking her head. "I thought foul play was reserved for the championship but apparently not."

"What? You mean this kind of thing has happened before?" Sakura asked, surprised.

"Just wait until you see how Oto's team plays," the brunette answered, scowling at the thought.

"I hope Naruto-kun's okay," Hinata interrupted, her lavender eyes staring at the bench.

"We'll go check up on him after the game," Ino suggested just as the final whistle blew and the squad and crowd cheered loudly for Konoha. Takikawa got their asses handed to them and the players quickly disappeared into the locker rooms as the court was overtaken by the local press and fervent Konoha fans wanting to congratulate their team.

Sakura hastily retreated back to the locker room intent on finding Naruto as soon as possible. She showered and changed as quickly as possible leaving the girls behind as she headed for the boys' locker room.

Once she got there, she noticed Gai and Kakashi standing outside the locker room and answering questions for a couple of journalists but no sign of the players.

A couple of seniors eventually appeared, smiling at Sakura as they passed by and she was about to ask them about Naruto when she suddenly spotted Sasuke and Shikamaru exit the locker rooms.

"Guys," she called out, stopping them in the corridor.

The sombre looks on their faces gave her pause.

"Where's Naruto?" she asked, worried.

Shikamaru glanced sideways at Sasuke before he answered. "He already left."

"What? When?" she asked, ruffling through her bag for her phone.

"He left as soon as the game was over," the Nara continued as Sakura retrieved her phone and searched for Naruto's number.

"Why the hell did he leave? I thought we were all going to Ichiraku's! Why didn't he -"

Sasuke's hand caught hers before she could make the call.

"Sakura," he spoke up, his voice surprisingly gentle. "The dobe left because he wants to be alone."

From the look on Sasuke's face, he had obviously already tried to reach out to the blond but was unsuccessful.

Sakura pinched her lips in worry. "What did those assholes say to him?" she asked quietly, slipping her phone back inside her bag.

Shikamaru heaved a sigh. "Takikawa is an elite boarding school that only kids from clans attend, mostly clans from Kusa since it's so close to the border. In any case, they're prejudiced when it comes to Naruto because they consider him inferior and like to rile him up during games."

"But Naruto's an Uzumaki for goodness sake!" Sakura argued.

"Yes, but the Uzumaki clan is scattered throughout the five nations with little money and no power," Shikamaru countered before adding in a low voice. "And Naruto's Namikaze heritage is supposed to remain secret."

"I know," Sakura answered, wondering how much Naruto's friends knew about his parents and their death. "But still…"

At that moment, Kiba and Neji came out from the changing rooms and the girls arrived soon after as well. Sakura followed them to Ichiraku's for dinner, riding in Ino's car, but couldn't stop thinking about Naruto all the same.

She knew he had already suffered from prejudice growing up as an orphan in a town where family name and heritage meant everything. Being adopted by Iruka and taken care of by Jiraiya whenever he came back from his travels had softened his suffering and loneliness, but he still craved to be recognised as an equal by his friends and the people surrounding him. The fact that Takikawa had targeted him during the game no matter how good of a player he was and in front of so many people must have hit the blond real hard.

Sakura tried not to worry about her friend and respect his wish to be alone for the evening but it was hard to eat miso ramen at Ichiraku's and not think about him. It just wasn't the same without him.

Checking her phone for the hundredth time just in case he had sent her a text or called and finding nothing, Sakura gave up and joined the excited chatter around the cheerleaders' table about Ino and Shikamaru's joint party.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

The following day, Sakura was sitting on Ino's bed, looking at the clothes scattered all around her. She had arrived earlier with her friends to set up everything at Deidara's house where the party was actually taking place and then they had all followed Ino back to her poolhouse to get ready.

The girls had then proceeded to raid Ino's wardrobe to find Sakura a dress.

"Sakura, try that black dress on, I'm sure it'll suit you," Ino told her, handing her yet another dress as Tenten and Hinata were looking at Ino's extensive collection of shoes.

"My mom would kill me if she saw me wearing this, but I refuse to change into yet another dress. This one will do," Sakura told them, looking at the way the tight black dress with lace on top hugged her body. "I still don't get why you wouldn't let me wear my own dress."

"Because the dress you brought makes you look cute," Ino stated matter-of-factly, pulling out a pair of ankle boots from her walk-in closet. "But this dress makes you look sexy."

Sakura turned to Tenten and Hinata, who shrugged in return. Their outfits had already been 'Ino approved' and Sakura had to admit, her friends looked hot.

"Alright fine, but quit bitching about my clothes because otherwise I might just change my mind about your _present_!" Sakura exclaimed, pulling out a small velvet box with a big gold ribbon around it.

"What? You guys got me a present?" Ino squeaked, faking surprise.

"It's from all of us," Sakura told her as the girls gathered around Ino. "Tenten picked them out and we all pitched in."

"Happy birthday, Ino!" Hinata exclaimed as Tenten crushed the blonde into a hug.

Ino quickly opened the box and looked genuinely surprised when she saw the earrings her friends had picked out. "Wow, they're gorgeous! I was a little scared when you said Tenten chose my present, but I love them!"

"Hey!" Tenten replied, pretending to be offended and trying to snatch Ino's new earrings away. Sakura and Hinata laughed until eventually Ino thanked them all again and pulled them into a group hug.

"Ino, you forgot one of your presents," Hinata pointed out, noticing another wrapped box on the blonde's desk.

"Oh, that's not for me," Ino answered, picking up the box. "It's my present for Shika. I was hoping to give it to him earlier today but he didn't come by. I guess he forgot."

Sakura noted the hint of sadness in her friend's voice but didn't comment on it.

"Or he didn't want you nagging him for getting into a fight," Tenten teased, sitting back down on the bed.

"What fight?" Sakura immediately asked.

Tenten stared at her, startled. "Wait, Naruto didn't tell you?" she asked with a frown. "He called the guys after we left Ichiraku's last night saying he wanted to go drinking. Sasuke, Kiba and Shikamaru followed him through Konoha all night until they apparently stumbled upon a few of the players from Takikawa."

"WHAT?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura, we thought you knew or we would have told you sooner," Tenten explained, turning to Ino who looked just as perplexed. "Haven't you heard from Naruto at all today?"

"No, he hasn't answered any of my calls," Sakura admitted, feeling annoyed at the blond for ignoring her all day. "Are they okay? Did they get into trouble?"

"Neji nii-san said they were fine, just a few bruises," Hinata spoke up. "Although I wish they'd stop fighting so much."

"Yeah well once they get here, we can give them an earful," Sakura answered, before kneeling down in front of Ino's mirror and starting on her make-up.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>..~**~..<strong>**

Deidara's house was just as big as Kiba's and twice as crowded that night. Sasuke couldn't keep the scowl off his face as he maneouvred through the crowd alongside Shikamaru and headed for the outdoors pool where they had seen the girls hang out.

The amount of people invited by Ino was astounding as usual and it seemed she had outdone herself decorating the whole place into a huge jungle. Real tropical plants plastered the walls and ceiling with fake animals perched between the leaves as a layer of fog covered the floor indoors. Outside, torches had been planted all around the pool alongside animal statues and Sasuke spotted Ino from afar, fluttering about welcoming guests and dressed in a provocative leopard-print dress, which caused Shikamaru to do a double take.

Watching her disappear among the crowd again, Sasuke signaled Shikamaru towards the outdoor couches. He quickly noticed the cheer squad sitting in a group and then scowled even more when he saw the swarm of guys hanging around them.

He sought out pink hair and when he finally spotted Sakura it took him a moment to tear his eyes away from the tiny black dress she was wearing with leopard print ankle boots that showed off her toned legs.

_What the hell is she wearing? _

Eventually, Sakura looked up and noticed their presence. She immediately headed their way but stopped short when she spotted Sasuke's face.

"Oh my God!"

Sasuke winced as she poked the large bruise on his cheek.

"What the hell happened to your face?"

"You should see Kiba," Sasuke growled, catching her hand before she could prod him again.

"I did," Sakura said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. "He was here earlier and told us exactly what happened last night. He looks like an idiot. You all look like idiots. What the hell were you guys thinking?"

Sasuke glowered at her words. "It's the dobe's fault."

"He dragged us through half a dozen bars wanting to get wasted and looking for a fight," Shikamaru explained, lighting up before offering a smoke to Sasuke, who gladly took it. "If we hadn't followed him, those guys would have pounded him."

"But Naruto isn't like that," Sakura retorted, nervously pulling at her hair, which Sasuke noticed had been loosely curled for the night. "He's not the type to go out looking for fights."

"He's not in his right mind," Shikamaru added, cigarette between his lips. "He's angry after what Takikawa said and did and I don't blame him."

He turned away at that point as a pretty blonde sitting by the pool called out his name, wishing him a happy birthday.

"I need to find Naruto," Sakura said after a moment.

"Leave the dobe to me," Sasuke told her, knowing Naruto wasn't in the right state of mind to be lectured by Sakura.

"I just want to talk to him, Sasuke," she answered, searching among the crowd. "Do you know where he is?"

Sasuke watched her carefully, exhaling a string of smoke. "He's in the kitchen doing shots. Just don't come crying to me when he blows you off."

Sakura gave him an incredulous stare. "Right, thanks."

"Sakura," he called out, just as she turned away. "Come find me after you're done. We need to talk."

He noticed her large green eyes widen slightly at his words before she nodded once. "Sure, I'll search through the jungle," she joked, laughing lightly. "Shouldn't be too hard."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled prettily in return before walking away.

Sasuke watched her disappear inside the house and remained rooted by the pool finishing his cigarette as he thought about what he would say to her. He had decided that since nobody had told her about Itachi, he would take it upon himself to warn her against his brother and make sure she never approached the bastard.

Unfortunately, he didn't remain alone with his thoughts for long.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura made her way through the crowd and smoke, stopping every so often as classmates and sometimes complete strangers greeted her. It was still weird for her to be recognised in or outside of school as the pink-haired cheerleader and having strangers call out to her as if they were her friend, but it wasn't a bad price to pay for being on the cheer squad.

Reaching the kitchen where the main bar had been set up, she heard a lot of shouting and cheering inside. Not knowing what to expect from Naruto, she hesitated slightly before walking in.

_Whether he's angry or depressed, I just want to be there for him_, Sakura thought, remembering all the times her blond best friend had been there for her in the past.

She spotted him in the center of the crowd, wearing his letterman jacket and his arms tightly wrapped around a girl Sakura didn't recognise. She quickly realised she didn't recognise any of the people surrounding him except a couple of seniors she'd seen around school. The rest seemed to be college students.

As people started to notice her, she called out to him. "Naruto."

He turned around and the grin on his bruised face fell when he saw her. She approached him, a little intimidated by the strangers around them and waited for them to give Naruto and her some space. The brunette in Naruto's arms eventually stepped away as well, glaring at Sakura as she did.

"Hey, where the hell were you?" Sakura finally asked. "I tried to reach you all day."

"Yeah, so I noticed," he answered, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "Seriously Sakura, ten missed calls?"

His snarky tone startled her, but she tried to let it affect her. "I was worried."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm fine."

_Really? Because the black eye and cut lip on your face beg to differ_, Sakura thought bitterly, but decided not to mention them.

"I was surprised to find you in here doing shots," Sakura said honestly, trying to ignore the unfriendly stares she was receiving from his drinking buddies across the room. "I thought you said you weren't drinking tonight, not after last week."

A hint of irritation flickered across his face before he downed the rest of his drink and tossed the red cup aside. "Yeah? Well I changed my mind."

Sakura was speechless. She could deal with Naruto when he was moody or downright angry, but this sort of detached, don't-give-a-fuck attitude of his, was new.

"Naruto, why are you being like this?" she asked quietly, realising that perhaps she should have listened to Sasuke.

"Like what?" he answered with a fake smile that made her want to smack him.

"Yo, Uzumaki, forget the cheerleader and come do another round of shots," one of the guys called out, causing everyone in the kitchen to snicker at them.

Sakura glared sharply at them, ready to lash out when Naruto stopped her. "Sakura, you should probably leave."

She looked back at him dumbfounded. "What?"

"Go back to the others," he told her before turning his back on her and rejoining his so-called friends, who cheered at his return.

Sakura remained rooted to her spot for a few seconds, too hurt to say or do anything before she eventually walked out of the kitchen and headed back into the crowd.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>"Sakura, stop sulking and come dance," Kagura ordered, getting up from the couch.<p>

"But he was such a jerk!" Sakura retorted angrily, finishing her beer. "And I was already dancing with you earlier!"

"Yeah, but you were so distraught over Naruto, you barely noticed all the guys making moves on you," Kagura insisted, fixing her dress. "And I have my eyes on that hot baseball player, who's currently on the dance floor."

"I'm not really in the mood," Sakura told her. She would have much rather discussed Naruto's dismissive behaviour with the girls or even Sasuke but unfortunately Sakura had lost them ever since she had come back from the kitchen. "But you should go for it."

Kagura eyed her from above and shook her head. "Sakura, forget about Naruto already! Guys are just like that. When their pride gets ruffled they feel the need to prove some kind of point and start acting like complete Neanderthals. He'll get over it soon and then he'll come begging you for forgiveness."

Although unconvinced by her words, Sakura nodded, finally giving in and standing up. "Okay, you're right, let's go -"

"Wow look at Chiaki, that sly bitch," Kagura exclaimed, looking through the crowd gathered all around the pool.

Sakura turned to look and through a tiny gap between people she could spot Chiaki opposite them, sitting on someone's lap in a chair, laughing softly as she whispered in the person's ear. From where she was standing Sakura couldn't see the lucky guy Chiaki had decided to sink her claws into.

"That girl knows exactly what she wants and how to get it."

Sensing a little jealousy in Kagura's voice, Sakura was about to tease her about it when the crowd moved just right, revealing the back of the chair.

And Sasuke's spiky, raven-black hair.

Sakura kept on staring at the couple, trying to ignore the familiar sinking feeling in her stomach. After a moment, her disappointment soon turned to anger.

_Come find me after you're done? Is he kidding me? I looked for him everywhere and that's what he was doing the whole time! Flirting with Chiaki?_

"Come on, let's go dancing," Kagura ordered excitedly, grabbing Sakura's hand and pulling her along.

Sakura followed the senior obediently inside towards the make-shift dance floor until Kagura suddenly stopped and pointed once more at something through the crowd.

Sakura spotted Tenten walking rapidly away towards the bathroom, pulling Ino by her elbow. Sakura took one look at Ino's face and knew that something was wrong.

"I'd better go check on them," Sakura shouted over the loud music, an apologetic look on her face. "Promise we'll dance later, okay?"

"Don't worry, it's fine," Kagura answered, waving her off. "Go take care of the birthday girl."

Sakura gave her a smile before following her friends down a narrow corridor towards the bathroom. A string of girls were queuing for the toilet and Sakura found Tenten and Ino a little beyond the toilet door, half-hidden in the shadows, Tenten's back shielding Ino from view.

"Girls, what's going on?" she asked, trying to keep her voice low.

She immediately noticed Ino's eyes were red and puffy and the look of anxiety on Tenten's face.

"Sakura, he totally ditched me," Ino exclaimed, her voice cracking a little as she carefully dabbed the corner of her eyes with a tissue, trying not to ruin her make-up. Her words slurred slightly showing hr drunken state.

"What? Who? Who ditched you?"

"Shikamaru," Tenten answered, giving Sakura a look clearly conveying that there was history there.

"I wanted to give him his present and when I couldn't find him, Kiba told me he'd gone upstairs," Ino continued, "Tenten even saw him leave, but I can't go up there, Dei would have a fit."

"There's a private party-type thing happening upstairs," Tenten explained, noticing Sakura's confused look. "You know, college students, lots of alcohol, drugs and whatnot."

Sakura nodded, understanding what her friends meant and recalling that Deidara had mentioned the same thing happening at Kiba's party.

"I can't believe I fucking organised all this shit by myself this year," Ino continued, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Every year, we would usually organise it together. He'd forget half the things I asked him to do but he'd stay with us – with me throughout the entire night no matter what shit Dei and his friends got upto elsewhere. He'd be here and we'd exchange our gifts, but ever since Sai -"

She burst into fresh tears and Sakura felt her heart ache at the sight of her friend crying. Tenten did her best to soothe her, stroking her arms with her hands.

_Damn it, why are guys such assholes sometimes?_

"Well why don't Tenten or I go talk to him or something," Sakura suggested, trying to ease Ino's pain.

"I – I don't know… could you?" Ino asked, dabbing her eyes again.

"No, absolutely not," Tenten said sternly, shaking her head. "You know we can't go upstairs, Ino. It's clan members only and you know what they do to people who try to sneak in. Especially girls."

Sakura decided not to ask what Dei and his friends did to girls and thought of who could help instead. "Well then, what about the guys? We could ask one of them to go talk to him instead."

_Not Naruto… or Sasuke…_ Sakura thought to herself, but realised Ino didn't seem too keen on asking help from one of their guy friends.

Tenten suddenly waved her hand above her head and Hinata arrived, squeezing her way past the toilet line.

"Sorry, I guess Sakura found us before you found her," Tenten apologised to their purple-haired friend, who shook her head in return.

"It's okay, I had a feeling she would find you first," Hinata told them before turning to face Ino. "Ino-chan, are you okay?"

Ino shook her head unconvincingly as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

"How about Neji?" Sakura suggested again. "Tenten can explain the situation to him and he'll keep a secret, right?"

Tenten looked unconvinced. "I don't know. Neji really hates those guys. Besides, I'm not really sure where he is right now, I left him to find Ino earlier…"

"Sakura," Hinata spoke up, turning to face her. "Is something wrong with Naruto-kun? I just saw him by the entrance earlier. He was with -"

She paused looking slightly uncomfortable about what she was about to say next.

"He was with some college students I didn't recognise although two of them were Deidara-san's friends. They were – they were buying drugs."

Her words immediately alerted Sakura. "What?"

"Was the creepy guy with the purple eyes there?" Tenten asked her.

Hinata nodded.

"And you saw Naruto buy _drugs_ from this guy?" Sakura asked incredulously.

_I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill him. What the hell is he thinking?_

"No, from the transfer student who was with Deidara-san and his friends at Ino's pool party last month," Hinata continued, before turning to the blonde. "The one from Suna with red hair."

Sakura suddenly felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"You mean... Sasori?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at Hinata in shock.

"You know him?" Ino asked, no longer crying. "Girls were all over him at that party."

"He's Kankuro's cousin and he's a fucking drug dealer," Sakura cried out, staring at Ino in shock. "What the hell is he doing here?"

Ino looked back at her, confused. "I don't know, I guess Deidara invited him. I only met him that one time."

"Besides he hates Naruto," Sakura continued, suddenly remembering the blond's last visit to Suna. "Why would he sell him anything? Shit, this is bad. This is really bad. I've got to find, Naruto. I'm going up there."

"No wait, you can't!" Tenten exclaimed, grabbing Sakura's arm. "You seriously have no idea what these guys are capable of."

"Oh I have some idea," Sakura said darkly, remembering her years in Suna, "but, I have to make sure Naruto is okay."

Tenten stared anxiously at her before turning to Ino for help.

"If they ask, tell them Deidara sent you," Ino informed her, looking worried as well. "And if things go badly then tell them about Tsunade-sama and they should back the hell off."

Sakura didn't like the idea of using her aunt's status to solve her problems but if it was the only way to help Naruto then she'd do it. She nodded in return and turned on her heel.

"We'll send the guys after you as soon as we find them," Sakura heard Tenten call out behind her as she hurried back towards the main jungle-themed room where the crowd danced to the latest tunes blasting loudly from huge speakers. She elbowed her way towards the entrance and the main staircase, grateful she still had a clear head to deal with whatever was happening upstairs.

The grand, curving staircase seemed a little intimidating but fighting down her feelings of panic, Sakura climbed the stairs, careful not to trip in her heels and determined that no matter what happened at the top, she wouldn't leave without Naruto.

She wasn't about to let her best friend go down the same dark path she had when she was dating Kankuro. No matter what a jerk he had been to her earlier.

Reaching the top, she looked down the dark corridor and noticed a couple of people leaning against the wall at the far end. As Sakura approached, she realised the couple were in fact making out heatedly against the wall and took no notice as Sakura passed them by. She heard talking and soft music and smelled cigarette smoke before she reached the corner.

Once there, another dimly-lit corridor opened to her left with large alcoves all along the walls, each with a candle-lit table with and a couch. She noticed a few people sitting, drinks in their hands and chatting away. They seemed older than Sakura. College students probably. Further along, she noticed more couples making out and she even saw the outline of a guy leaning back on a couch in a dark alcove with a girl on her knees between his legs.

Looking away, she noticed an open archway at the end of the corridor with a couple of steps leading down to some sort of lounge with blue lighting, soft music and a bar.

No one seemed to notice her as she walked, but she barely managed to get within two steps of the lounge before a deep voice spoke up behind her.

"Looks like a lil' birdie got lost."

Sakura's head swiveled to the side and came face to face with a silver-haired stranger.

"I'm looking for a friend," Sakura said warily. The dangerous glint in his dark eyes didn't reassure her one bit.

"Ya hear that, Kakuzu?" the silver-haired stranger replied, sardonically. "The lil' birdie thinks she can come here looking for her friend. She obviously didn't get the fucking message."

All traces of laughter vanished from his face as he glared at her.

"We don't take too kindly to groupies sniffing around here," he said dangerously, causing Sakura to unconsciously take a step back.

She felt a presence behind her and quickly looked over her shoulder, realising that a rather muscular and tanned man stood directly behind her.

She supposed he was 'Kakuzu'.

"Look," Sakura started, not liking how the two guys were cornering her. "I'm not a fangirl. I'm just here for my friend Naruto, I need to talk to him… and Shikamaru I guess if he's around. After that, I'll leave."

"Uzumaki and Nara, huh? Well you must be either really fucking stupid or pretty bold if you think we're going to let you in like that," the silver-haired man retorted with narrowed eyes.

"Deidara invited me," Sakura added quickly, hoping she didn't sound unconvincing.

His silver eyebrows raised at her words. "Really? That's odd because Dei's been out all evening. Had to take care of some last-minute clan stuff. You wouldn't be fucking lying to me now, would ya sweetheart?"

_Shit. _

A large hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder from behind, keeping her in place.

The silver-haired man stepped closer and stared her down. "What's your name?"

"Sakura."

"Your last name, sweetheart. Nobody fucking cares about your first name here."

"Haruno," Sakura eventually told him with a glare and watched as he glanced up and exchanged a look with his friend. She immediately recognised that look. She had been on the receiving end of it all her life.

_She's a nobody_, it meant.

"Well then, Sa-ku-ra," he continued, his voice deceptively sweet. "We're going to give you the same choice we gave all the other horny bitches that try to sneak in uninvited."

"I'm not trying to hook up with them, I just want to talk," she repeated through gritted teeth.

He took no notice of her words and flashed her a wicked smile. "You can either play a little game with us or you can leave. Choice is yours. But play our little game right and you'll be free to go inside and look for your friends."

"I'm not playing games with you," Sakura said firmly.

She didn't like the way his smile twisted into a smirk. "Well then sweetheart, your other option is to join me in one of the alcoves and use your pretty lil' mouth to convince me to let you go."

He traced his fingers down the side of her face and Sakura suppressed a shudder.

"So, what do you say?"

There was no way in hell she was following that asshole in a dark alcove. Besides, she'd come for Naruto and she had promised herself that she wouldn't leave without him.

"Fine," she spat out, raising her chin defiantly. "I'll play your sick games, but I want you to tell me where my friends are first."

Kakuzu let her go and the stranger snaked his arm around her waist, guiding her towards the archway.

"Follow me inside and I'll tell you anything you wanna know."

He turned to face her and in the direct light Sakura noticed that his eyes were in fact purple.

"After you," he murmured, amused, and as Sakura took her first step down into the lounge, she couldn't help but think that she was diving head first into a tank full of sharks.

**..~**~..**

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><p><strong>Naruto's being a prick and out of character (it won't last) and the Akatsuki finally make a real appearance, well at least Hidan and Kakuzu. Yeah, I know Hidan's already appeared before, but now Sakura meets him too. And you can only guess who else will be in that lounge... :) Anyway, which Akatsuki guy are you most excited to see? Personally, Hidan's always been my favourite because he's so crazy so it's fun to finally get to play with him. <strong>

**Please drop me a review to keep me going and for future updates, be sure to check my profile.**

**A fabulous weekend to you all, sai xx**


	17. Dangerous Games

**I'm sorry guys, life has been a total bitch since the New year and I'll be out of a job soon so I'm busy job hunting which is why I had so little time to write. Anyway, I want to thank you all for being amazing reviewers, your kind words always put me in a good mood and keep me writing.**

**A WARNING to the younger ones reading this fic... this chapter contains DRUG USE so if you are not okay with that, then stay away!**

**This chapter is an important one and therefore is dedicated to the following people who regularly review and give me amazing words of encouragement: LadyMartel4000, Iloveallanime16, cutecookiechick, TurtleDovesRule, ILoveSxS, DarknessFlameWolf, Dattebayodobe - thank you so much you guys!**

**Almost 8,000 words... Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<br>**

**..~**~..**

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><p>Blue and white lights hung overhead, illuminating the silver bar and leaving plenty of dark corners throughout the rest of the lounge. Sakura took a few steps forward and immediately noticed several pair of eyes gazing her way. Guys watched her like a fresh piece of meat as her silver-haired tormentor behind her led her to a nearby table.<p>

He gestured to the one of the dark velvet benches lining the walls and Sakura felt trapped against the wall as he sat down on a chair opposite her, their knees practically touching.

His hand dug into his back pocket and he carelessly threw a small plastic bag across the table between them.

"Here, have one of those," he told her, lighting up a cigarette with the only candle on the table. "It'll help you relax."

Sakura eyed the tiny white pills inside and scowled.

"Whatsa matter, sweetheart?" he mocked, his purple eyes watching her closely. "You never seen E. before? Don't forget now, I gave you an out and you made your choice -"

"If you think I'm stupid enough to get doped up on shit given to me by a stranger then -"

"The name's Hidan," he cut her off brusquely with a glare. "And that 'shit' is worth more than you could ever afford so shut the fuck up and take the tab, sweetheart."

_You're in over your head_, her Inner self suddenly warned her. _You could deal with this in Suna with Kankuro by your side but now…_

Sakura shut her out and picked up the bag, Hidan watching her like a hawk. It was all a mind game to him – see how far the innocent pink-haired girl would go for her friends before she turned tail.

Well Sakura wasn't about to run and she sure as hell wasn't innocent. Not anymore.

_Suna High took care of that. _

She took out a little white pill and recognised the blue symbol on it as Sasori's. At least she knew what to expect when rolling with his E. Without a second thought, she slipped the tab in her mouth and let it dissolve under her tongue.

"Where is Naruto and what did he take?" she asked without missing a beat.

Opposite her, Hidan's eyes lit up and he gave a dark chuckle as he slipped the plastic bag back inside his pocket. "He took the same as you. He was here for a while after that and then I guess he disappeared in one of the back rooms."

Sakura followed his line of sight towards the back of the lounge where a black curtain was drawn no doubt leading to more private rooms. Sakura fought down her feelings of panic as she wondered if Sasori was with him.

"Who paid for the bag?" Sakura demanded, knowing the Suna red-head didn't sell for less than 15,000 ryo and Naruto didn't carry that kind of money on him.

"No one. My friend gave him a single tab and said it was on him."

Sakura looked back at him, confused. Why? Why would Sasori do that? He wasn't known for being the generous type so why would he start giving freebies to Naruto?

"Now enough with the questions," Hidan stated, crushing his cigarette in the ashtray before turning to the bar. "Time for you to choose, sweetheart. The real game starts now and we're going to need some juice."

Sakura watched as Hidan produced a pack of cards and set them down in the middle of the table and realised he wanted to play a drinking game. She didn't like the way things were going. Mixing ecstasy with alcohol was never a good idea.

"Then I pick apple juice," she retorted annoyed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hidan merely raised an eyebrow. "Cute. How about you shuffle the cards and I pick the booze instead?"

He got to his feet and Sakura gave a sharp sigh. "Tequila," she relented, knowing otherwise he'd probably pick a strong saké or something nasty like vodka. "I want tequila."

He nodded once, turning towards the bar and Sakura looked around the lounge once more, trying to discern faces in the dim lighting in case Naruto or Shikamaru were around. Not too far from them she saw a group of college guys playing cards as well, probably poker, whilst at another table a couple of girls were preparing white lines of coke.

Hidan returned with a bottle and two shot glasses and she remained silent as he deftly shuffled the cards before putting the pile in the middle of the table, face down.

"We're gonna make this real simple, sweetheart," he explained, lighting up another cigarette. "We take turns turning a card from the pile and guessing whether it'll be higher or lower than the previous one. If you guess right, you keep the card. If you guess wrong, you drink. The player with the most cards, wins."

It seemed simple enough. The trick was to keep count of the cards but she wasn't good at it and once the pill and the shots kicked in, she was bound to lose.

"What if it's the same card?" Sakura asked him, watching as he poured the first round of shots before setting the large bottle on the next table.

"We both drink."

"What happens if I lose?"

He pinned her with a stare, purple eyes flashing in the darkness as his lips slowly curved into a devious smirk. "If you lose, then we get to play another game."

From the sound of his voice and the suggestive look in his eye, Sakura knew exactly what he meant and shuddered slightly.

_Don't fucking lose, keep your head together and count the cards like Tsunade taught you!_

Hidan turned over the first card, an eight of spades and lifted his glass up above it expecting her to do the same. Sakura took her own glass in her hand, looking down at the golden liquid before lifting it up and meeting his glass.

"Kanpai," she whispered softly before downing her first shot.

She didn't notice the malicious glint in Hidan's eyes before he downed his own glass.

**..~**~..**

* * *

><p>"Lower."<p>

Sakura watched Hidan turn the card over revealing a three of diamonds and internally breathed a sigh of relief. She waited until Hidan called the next card before stacking the three in her pile.

"Higher."

Sakura turned the card, revealing an ace of hearts and laughed.

"Drink up, drink up, Hidan-san!" she exclaimed, smiling coyly as she grabbed the bottle from the neighbouring table and poured him another shot. "I'm totally owning your ass."

"I'm only up three shots," he retorted with a grimace as he downed the drink. "And drop the formalities, would ya? Makes me seem old. Your turn."

"Higher, obviously."

The card turned out to be a queen and Sakura collected it in her pile. They continued playing, Sakura laughing at random and taunting her opponent as she felt the tab and shots take effect.

"Hey Hidan, just how old are you?" she blurted out at some point, leaning over the table to see him up close.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well your hair's all grey already and yet -"

"It's silver," he shot back, irritated. "It's not grey, it's fucking silver, woman."

Sakura snorted, leaning back into the bench. "Yeah well I've never seen anyone with hair like yours unless they're over fifty."

"And your hair's fucking pink," he answered bluntly causing Sakura to giggle.

"Touché."

"Higher," Hidan called out and Sakura turned the card over before handing it to him.

"Lower," she guessed and unfortunately missed.

"Shit." The tequila burned her throat and yet the aftertaste was delicious.

"This tequila is really goood," she exclaimed, looking into her empty shot glass.

"That's the tab talking," Hidan assured her before calling out his next guess.

"Naruto better be fucking grateful that I went looking for him," Sakura muttered, securing another card into her pile.

Hidan chuckled at her words. "Grateful?" he echoed, his purple eyes dancing with amusement. "What the hell do you think Uzumaki's been doing back there? If he was using, he'd be right here with the rest of us."

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes drinking in her reaction as he continued in a low voice. "Your boy's getting laid, sweetheart, and I doubt he wants you to fucking come after him."

Hidan's revelation surprised Sakura and stung a little. So then all that time he wasn't in the backroom with Sasori getting high, he was actually having sex? Her face burned with shame. What an idiot! She had come after Naruto for nothing apparently and instead found herself caught in Hidan's games.

She often blamed Naruto for being rash and not thinking before he acted but apparently she wasn't any better.

Noticing the smirk on Hidan's lips, Sakura realised the bastard knew exactly what Naruto had been upto from the start.

"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she cried out frustrated, although her slurred words made her sound whiny. "That's it, I'm beating your ass at this game and then I'm leaving."

"You think you can win?" Hidan retorted, his behaviour much too confident for someone who was losing. Sakura's eyes flicked down at the small pack of cards left in the middle of the table before looking back into his dark purple eyes.

"Are you counting cards, you cheater?" Sakura blurted out, causing Hidan to laugh at her.

"Are you only realising that now?" he asked incredulously, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.

A bunch of colourful insults flew through Sakura's mind but as she opened her mouth, another voice interrupted her.

"Sakura?"

She looked up and was surprised to find Shikamaru standing nearby and watching her with wide eyes.

She'd completely forgotten about him.

"Shit, what the fuck are you doing here?" he immediately asked, making his way to her and towering over their table. She noticed he was also sporting a similar split lip to Naruto's from the fight.

"You actually know her?" Hidan spoke up, another cigarette already sticking out of his mouth.

"Of course he knows me," Sakura exclaimed with a large grin, patting the seat next to her for Shikamaru to sit down. "I'm his awesome Physics partner, aren't I, Shika?"

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Shikamaru repeated, unphased by Hidan's question.

"I'm beating this guy's ass at his own game," Sakura said proudly, giving the silver-haired jerk a smug smile.

"Sakura, you can't beat Hidan, he counts the cards," Shikamaru countered, looking distastefully at the half-empty bottle of tequila. "How many shots have you had?"

Sakura laughed at his question, sensing the fake feeling of euphoria take over her mind. "Not enough, but it's okay cause I'm winning!"

"Did you take anything?"

Sakura faltered slightly at Shikamaru's question. "What? No, not really… ok yeah, maybe…"

He frowned at her. "Sakura, your _aunt_ would kill me if she found out about all this. We need to leave."

"Her aunt?" Hidan suddenly questioned, his attention turning to Shikamaru.

"Shika, don't," Sakura stopped him before he revealed anything. "Come on, don't spoil my fun. I want to finish the game. Besides whose fault is it that I'm here in the first place? Who do you think sent me?"

Her words promptly shut him up and he remained silent as Hidan picked up the next card.

"You don't have to do whatever Ino tells you to," Shikamaru stated after a moment.

"Yeah well I wouldn't have to if you'd just stayed by her side," Sakura teased him, before squealing in delight as she correctly guessed again and quickly taunted Hidan with the card.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her childish behaviour before swiping the card from her hand and setting it on top of her pile. "Sakura…"

"Okay, okay, that's not the real reason why I came," she confessed, feeling a familiar sensation of contentment slowly consume her. "I heard Naruto was up here too and Sasori as well, that asshole, and -"

"Wait, what? You know Sasori?" Shikamaru asked confused just as Hidan's gaze turned to her surprised.

"Yeah, everyone in Suna knows who he is," Sakura answered with a shrug, drumming her fingers on the table. "Hey, you playing or what?"

Hidan turned a card over guessing correctly.

No matter, Sakura was still winning by three cards. "Higher," she announced before turning over a four of hearts and losing.

"Damn it," she growled, watching Hidan triumphantly fill up her shot glass.

"Fucking troublesome," Shikamaru drawled before sitting himself down next to her on the bench. "Sakura, you're obviously high on something and drinking tequila isn't helping your judgement. You're going to lose."

"Then help me!" she pointed out before downing the glass.

Shikamaru felt down his pockets looking for his smokes. "I can't."

"And why the hell not?" she blurted out, dropping her shotglass which the Nara heir swiftly caught before it fell to the ground. "If I win, Hidan gets to be my bitch!"

Shikamaru almost choked on his unlit cigarette as Hidan merely raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember agreeing to that."

Sakura smiled sweetly in return. "That's funny, because I clearly remember _you_ stating what would happen if _you_ won, so I thought I would do the same."

Shikamaru tensed at her words. "What happens if he wins?" he asked, his gaze narrowing at Hidan.

"Nothing, because he isn't going to win. My turn!"

Unfortunately as the game continued Sakura's luck seemed to run out. She lost more than she won whereas her opponent guessed correctly everytime.

Opposite her, Hidan watched her closely. "Had enough yet, sweetheart? If you don't win the last card, you'll lose."

"Only if you win yours, otherwise it'll be a draw."

Hidan smirked cockily before exhaling a ring of smoke across the table. "Higher."

Although she should have cursed or ranted at Hidan for guessing correctly again, Sakura ended up snickering as he turned over a nine of clubs. She stared down at the last card, realising after a moment that it was her turn but her mind was too overwhelmed with other thoughts to really care if she won or lost.

"Are you ready?" she asked, looking up at Hidan.

"Are you?" he replied, giving her a searing look.

Sakura leaned over the table slightly, giving him a good view of her cleavage before calling out her guess.

"Lower."

She turned over the card but unfortunately her hand revealed a jack of spades.

Hidan leaned in as well, flicking the ash of his cigarette before pouring Sakura another shot.

"Looks like today's my lucky day," he told her, setting the glass down in front of her. "Here's to my victory."

Sakura felt slightly nauseous at the sight of more tequila but she reached for it nonetheless.

Shikamaru, who had remained quiet throughout the exchange, immediately stopped her. "Sakura, you've had enough. Nevermind your aunt, Sasuke's gonna kill me when he finds out about this."

_Sasuke?_

"Sakura, what did you promise him?"

"Huh?" She tried to focus on Shikamaru's words but her ears picked up on the soft lounge music playing in the background instead. It was so nice… wasn't anyone else listening to it?

She jumped a little as she felt Hidan's hand land on her knee underneath the table. "Don't bother, she's out of it," he said with a dark chuckle, his hand slowly sliding up her thigh.

"Hidan, you have no idea who she is," Shikamaru growled.

"But a deal's a deal," Hidan continued, his countenance growing somber. "And she promised me another game. Get out of here, Nara."

"Hidan," a deep, authoritative voice suddenly spoke up behind the silver-haired man. "Not her."

Sakura looked up at the newcomer and blinked.

_Sasuke?_

Except, it wasn't him. The man before them seemed slightly older, with much longer hair tied back in a ponytail and an imposing presence. His good-looks and demeanour were impossible not to notice and Sakura wondered how she hadn't noticed him before. He was just as hot as Sasuke, dressed in a dark fitted dress shirt and slacks that looked expensive.

He was definitely an Uchiha, there was no doubt about it.

Hidan's eyes immediately narrowed. "You're shitting me," he spoke in a low voice.

"Kakuzu's looking for you," the Uchiha continued, ignoring Hidan's blatant anger. "He's starting a poker game with Kisame."

Sakura watched with fascination the staring contest occurring between the two men, until finally Hidan's intense gaze settled on her once more and he reluctantly stood up.

"We'll catch up next time, sweetheart," he relented, slipping another cigarette in his mouth before walking away.

Looking back at the mysterious handsome man standing before them, it took Sakura a moment to realise that he must be Sasuke's hated older brother.

_Sasuke's not going to be happy when he finds out his brother's here_, Sakura thought to herself until she remembered that Sasuke was having fun downstairs with Chiaki and that she couldn't care less about his family problems.

"Thanks," Shikamaru drawled, looking surprised by the man's presence.

"What is she doing here?" the Uchiha asked nonchalantly, his dark eyes surveying Sakura from head to toe.

Shikamaru stubbed out his cigarette before answering. "She followed Naruto apparently, he's here somewhere. You see him?"

Sakura laughed at his question. "Naruto's busy fucking," she stated, her words slightly slurred. "Hidan said so."

Shikamaru frowned at her before standing up. "Let me get you some water and then we'll head back downstairs."

He left leaving Sakura all alone with the gorgeous man, who sat down in Hidan's seat.

"You'll have to excuse Hidan," he said smoothly, his dark eyes taking in the tequila bottle, the glass shots and the cards on the table. "He's from Yu and doesn't know about Tsunade-sama."

Sakura opened her mouth to respond but someone beat her to it.

"Man, what is it with you and redheads?" a loud voice interrupted them. "I leave you for two minutes and…"

The man paused, staring at Sakura for a moment before speaking again. "Huh… Okay I take that back, a _pink_-haired chick."

Sakura felt her jaw drop as her eyes took in the sight of yet another hot Uchiha man before her. Whereas the man sitting down seemed to ooze authority and elegance, the second one looked friendlier and more rugged. His hair, the same shade as Sasuke's brother, was a lot shorter and messy, although it looked good on him. His face was a stark contrast from his friend's impassive one as his lips were turned into a large smile.

"Shisui…" the first Uchiha warned.

"What?" he retorted jokingly. "I wanted to know why the hell you were interfering between Hidan and his prey. You know how he loves to torment the groupies. He looked like he wanted to fucking murder you and I guess now I know why."

He winked at Sakura, who blushed in return.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru returned with a glass of water and set it down on the table in front of her. "Drink up and then we're leaving."

He remained standing before her, shielding her view from the hot Uchiha men, who talked behind him in low tones.

"Hey, Shika, who's the hottie? Do you know him?" she asked, giggling softly.

He rolled his eyes at her. "You mean Itachi who just saved you from Hidan? Don't you realise he's -"

"No, the other guy… - wait, what?" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise and she suddenly leaned sideways, looking around Shikamaru at the two older men, cutting into their discussion.

"Excuse me, but is your name…" she asked loudly, pausing as she tried to contain her laughter. "Is your name, Itachi?"

The man slowly turned to look at her and nodded.

"And you're… you're Sasuke's older brother?"

He nodded once more and Sakura fell into peals of laughter.

Shikamaru immediately sighed. "Sakura…"

"Can he… say… 'meow'?" she asked between gasps, barely able to speak as she howled with laughter, and distinctly heard the Nara heir above her snort.

"Fuck, she's wasted," Shisui stated, clearly amused. "The hell is she on about?"

"Sakura, stop being so troublesome," Shikamaru eventually told her, forcing the glass into her hand. "Drink, now."

"Who the hell is she?" Shisui asked and Sakura wanted nothing more than to introduce herself to the gorgeous Uchiha man when a cool, familiar voice answered for her instead.

"Haruno Sakura."

Shikamaru turned around, moving aside at the sound of the voice and Sakura spotted Sasori suddenly standing next to Itachi. Immediately her giddiness evaporated and was replaced with a sense of dread.

"Suna's number one party girl," the red-head continued, his brown eyes roaming over her. "At least, that was the case the last time I saw you. I heard things went south afterwards. I'm surprised to find you here, Sakura."

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly, hating how vulnerable she suddenly sounded.

Sasori took a couple of steps towards her and Sakura tensed.

"I decided to spend a year abroad at Konoha U," he explained. "It's funny that we should meet again, I actually have some unfinished business to discuss with you. If you fellows don't mind?"

He turned back towards the two Uchiha and Shisui gave a shrug before turning away. Itachi gave Sakura a final glance then followed his friend.

"Sakura…" Shikamaru began, his eyes flicking back and forth between her and the red-head.

Fearing whatever Sasori might say in front of her friend, Sakura decided it was best to speak to the red-head in private.

"Shika, it's fine," she reassured him, sipping water from the glass. "Just give us five minutes."

He frowned at her but eventually nodded, before turning away and heading towards the bar.

"New boyfriend?" Sasori asked, a smile curving his lips.

Sakura ignored his question. "Sasori, what do you want?"

"I'm here for the money that you owe me," he answered in a detached manner although his body towered over her in a threatening stance.

Sakura felt her stomach clench at his words. "Temari told me that she'd sort it out."

The red-head's smile accentuated slightly. "She didn't. Or at least I didn't let her. Why let my cousin pay for all the good times that _you_ enjoyed? Surely you can pay for them yourself."

_Shit!_

Sakura's knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the bench hard with one hand.

"I don't have that kind of money and you know it," she insisted, putting her glass down on the table. She was starting to feel faint and wished she hadn't sent Shikamaru away. It never even occurred to her that Sasori was here to collect money. "Sort it out with Kankuro. He's the one who gave me the pills in the first place."

"Funny, that's not how he sees it."

"Yeah, well he's lying!" Sakura hissed, holding her forehead as she felt her head spin.

Sasori crouched down before her and she felt his fingertips trace her temple, before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"And who exactly am I more likely to believe, hmm? You or my cousin?" he asked coolly, although the underlying anger told her he wasn't playing anymore. Sakura froze at his words, knowing very well what he was capable of. From the outside, Sasori may be a well-bred clan member with the face of an angel but it was all a cover-up to hide his true nature. Everyone in Suna knew not to mess with the city's most vicious drug dealer.

"It's not my problem anymore," Sakura evaded, already knowing he wouldn't drop the matter so easily.

His brown eyes narrowed and he suddenly snatched her hand away from her face, twisting her wrist. "Oh it's still very much your problem, Sakura, and we're simply going to have to find a way for you to pay what you owe me."

_Crap!_

Sakura tried to pull away from him, but his other hand grasped her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him.

"Do I make myself clear?" he whispered sharply.

"Sasori, let go of me -"

His grip tightened and she winced in pain.

"You didn't answer my question."

"And she told you to let her go," a deep voice came from behind him.

_Sasuke!_

Sakura's eyes went wide with surprise as a murderous-looking Sasuke stood before them. His posture was rigid and the cold look in his dark eyes was damn right terrifying.

_What is he doing here?_

She noticed Shikamaru was there too, standing slightly in retreat. Sasori let go of her chin and slowly stood back up, a condescending look on his face as he turned to face Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he acknowledged before he glanced back down at Sakura. "Looks like Sakura knows how to pick her friends."

"Shut up," Sasuke growled, taking a threatening step. The bruise on his cheek made him look even more dangerous.

"Is he even aware of what you were like in Suna?" Sasori spoke over his shoulder at Sakura. Sasuke's eyes briefly glanced down at her and she bowed her head. "Does he know how it ended?"

Sasuke roughly grabbed him by the collar, tugging him forward. "Shut the fuck up and leave."

"Sasuke," Shikamaru warned him and after a pause Sasuke eventually released his hold, his eyes still narrowed into slits.

Sasori chuckled in return. "I'll see you around, Sakura."

He walked around the boys and headed towards the poker table, where the players had been watching the exchange with interest from afar.

"Sasuke…" Sakura said hesitantly.

His eyes stared at the red skin around her wrist. "Are you okay?"

Sakura nodded. "I -"

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke cut her off, turning to Shikamaru.

"He's in the back with Konan. We won't be seeing him again tonight."

"Then let's go."

He turned towards Sakura, grasping her upper arms gently and helping her up.

"It's fine, I can walk," Sakura assured him and followed Shikamaru out of the lounge, stumbling at little once they reached the steps, but immediately she felt Sasuke by her side, his hands catching her. They continued down the corridor, his hand on the small of her back the whole time.

Sakura didn't know how Sasuke had found out where she was or why he'd come after her, but she was grateful that he did and the thought of him standing up to Sasori on her behalf brought a smile on her lips.

**..~**~..**

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><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

To say Sasuke was pissed was an understatement.

His night had gone from ignoring annoying fan girls as he waited by the pool for Sakura to return, to trying to ditch a drunk Chiaki, who just because he'd fucked her a couple of times last year, thought that gave her the right to harass him all evening. She'd approached him rather smoothly and if Sasuke had been in the right mind set, he might have been tempted, but now his thoughts were only filled of a pink-haired girl, who wasn't anywhere to be seen.

The thought of her walking around the party wearing a tiny black dress with so many creeps about annoyed him to no end.

However, what angered him even more was the way Chiaki wouldn't take 'no' for an answer even after he'd brushed her off.

"Oh come on, Sasuke-kun," she whispered in his ear as she slowly eased herself on his lap. "I know you want to. You never refused me before last year."

"That was last year," he said coldly, twisting his face away as her lips closed in dangerously.

She giggled in his ear. "And what's changed since then? Don't tell me you've found yourself a girlfriend again?"

He preferred not to answer, wondering himself what his interest in Sakura would lead to. Clearly, she wasn't the type of girl he could just fool around with – she deserved better than being one of his one-night stands and besides Naruto would skin him alive if he ever hurt her. For now, Sakura was his friend but now that she constantly invaded his mind, he wondered how long their friendship would last.

"Fine, you're no fun," Chiaki concluded, pouting slightly before slipping off his lap. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

_Or not…_

After she left, Sasuke grabbed a beer and walked around the gardens sticking to the shadows, guessing that he'd spot Sakura from afar if she ever made it outside.

After a while, he noticed Kiba instead hunched over a flower bed, puking his guts out and scowled. The Inuzuka never knew when to draw the line with alcohol and often ended up sick if Shikamaru or Neji weren't around to watch him. Naruto was just as bad.

He noticed his friend was already being taken care of by a senior that Sasuke recognised from the cheer squad. He wondered whether she might know about Sakura's whereabouts and before he realised it he was already walking towards them.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," she exclaimed, surprised. He remembered seeing her frequently with Ino and the girls before and always flirting with either Kiba or Naruto during lunch. Kaori, was it?

"Hey, man," Kiba groaned, looking unusually pale.

Sasuke smirked back at him. "Too much rhum?"

"Yeaaah," Kiba admitted before his chest heaved and he was throwing up in the flowers again.

"Here, I found a bottle of water."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to find another cheerleader, another senior who based for Sakura, jogging towards them a bottle in hand.

"Oh hey, Sasuke," she greeted him and stepped closer to Kiba, waiting for him to settle down a little before handing him the bottle. "Here you go, drink up. You'll feel better."

Kiba gave her a grateful look as he panted heavily.

"If you're looking for the girls, they were by the bathroom earlier, but I have no idea where they are now," the girl continued, turning to face him. "Don't worry, we'll take care of Kiba. Make sure Ino's okay, yeah?"

Sasuke frowned slightly. _Ino?_

"Aa." He left without another word wondering what the girl meant. Reaching the pool again, he dug out his phone and noticed several missed calls from Shikamaru as well as a text.

_Where the hell are you? Sakura followed Naruto upstairs and Hidan found her._

Sasuke felt a chill pass over him.

_She's upstairs? What the fuck is she doing up there?_

He took off towards the house and the crowd naturally parted to let him pass as they noticed the furious look on his face. He barely remembered going up the stairs or heading down the corridor. All he knew was that Sakura should never have found her way up there and if Hidan or any of his brother's sick friends had touched her, there would be hell to pay.

Once he reached the lounge, he immediately spotted Shikamaru sitting on a bar stool, texting away. He looked up when Sasuke approached.

"It's about time you got here," he drawled, putting his phone away.

"Where is she?" he demanded urgently, but his eyes quickly caught a flash of pink.

She was sitting down by a table, a nearly empty tequila bottle beside her. Sasuke noticed the drug dealer from Suna kneeling in front of her, invading her personal space and felt his anger skyrocket. When he caught sight of the bastard twisting Sakura's wrist, he saw red.

He didn't know what he said exactly as he intervened, but the look of relief that flashed across Sakura's face told him everything he needed to know.

"Is he even aware of what you were like in Suna? Does he know how it ended?"

Sasuke didn't like what the red-head was insinuating and the effect his words had on Sakura made his blood boil. Sasuke had been on the receiving end of Sakura's angry outbursts and glares for over a month now. Hell she hit Naruto more times throughout the day than the boy could say ramen and yet here next to Sasori, she was cowering.

Watching the Suna bastard leave did nothing to soothe Sasuke's temper. He knew he needed to get Sakura away from his brother and his friends first, however, he was still fuming and almost wished he could have put his fist through the little shit's face. He was angry at Sakura for following Naruto in the first place, angry at himself for not realising earlier and angry at all the fuckers that were staring at them as they left. Spotting his brother among the crowd, sitting in the shadows with a knowing look on his face, Sasuke gritted his teeth and walked away.

Although Sakura was doing her best not to act like it, he could tell that she was wasted and to his surprise her dilated pupils and flitting eyes told him she wasn't only under the effects of alcohol.

He helped her down the main staircase, keeping a firm grip on her arm and spotted Tenten from afar pacing about the hallway, phone in her hands.

"I need to find Ino," Shikamaru stated behind them with a sigh. "Unless you still need me…?"

"We'll be fine," Sasuke told him and the Nara heir disappeared back in the crowd just as Tenten noticed them.

"Oh shit," she cursed, taking one look at Sakura. "Is she okay? I'm sorry, Sasuke, I knew it was a bad idea from the start but she insisted and…"

"You should have warned me." His tone was harsh but he didn't care. The girls were Sakura's friends, weren't they? Why had none of them had tried to reach him?

Tenten at least had the decency to look guilty. "We tried to find you but we couldn't and then when we asked around Chiaki told us you'd left."

Sasuke tsked in annoyance. "I was in the gardens," he explained briefly before turning to Sakura. "I'll go get some water, wait here."

"I need the toilet," Sakura spoke up, taking a step forward as Sasuke frowned.

"I'll go with her," Tenten offered, taking the girl's elbow. "We'll meet you back here."

Sasuke nodded and made his way to the kitchen, looking for a bottle. He brushed off the brunette who attempted to make small talk with him and headed straight back to the hallway once he found what he was looking for.

"Here." He thrust the bottle in Sakura's hands as soon as she returned. "Was she staying at Ino's tonight?"

Tenten nodded. "I'll take her back and put her to bed."

"No, I'll take her," Sasuke muttered, sending a quick text to the others. "Tell Ino we left."

Tenten looked back at him slightly stunned. "Okay, I will."

Sasuke turned to leave as the girls said their goodbyes and halted at the front door, waiting for Sakura.

She followed him quietly, opening the water bottle in her hands. Sasuke kept an eye on her as they walked away from the loud music and down the moonlit alleyway leading to Ino's house. She was coming down from whatever she had taken and looked pretty tired. She still stumbled a couple of times and had trouble walking in a straight line, causing Sasuke to eventually grab her around the waist and pull her against him.

She immediately tensed. "Sasuke!"

"Just lean on me and shut up," he said forcefully.

Instead, she pulled away and stopped to face him. "Why are you so angry?"

Sasuke looked back at her incredulously. "Are you serious?" he spoke harshly, calmness drifting away. "Don't you realise what Hidan and his lot would have done to you if Shikamaru hadn't been there?"

"Actually… your brother was the one who intervened," Sakura admitted quietly.

Sasuke felt his fists clench on instinct at the thought of his brother.

"Of course he did," he snarled to himself before rounding on her again. "Why the hell did you go after Naruto in the first place?"

"He took drugs, Sasuke," Sakura countered, raising her voice.

_So did you_, Sasuke thought drlyly but decided not to mention it.

"And from a guy who hates him as well," she continued. "I was worried so I went after him."

"Naruto can handle himself. Damn it, Sakura, you should have come find me like I asked you to."

"I tried," Sakura retorted hotly and Sasuke silently wondered if her green eyes had always held such intensity before, "but I couldn't find you."

"I was outside by the pool."

"Yeah, I know," Sakura answered, after a moment. "I found you eventually, but you seemed busy. With Chiaki."

She watched him closely for any reaction, but he gave none. Instead he watched her nervously uncap the water bottle and take a sip.

"Whatever, it's not like I care."

Her words drew a smirk to his lips because obviously she did. And surprisingly, the thought didn't bother him at all.

"Chiaki is just like the guy I found you with," he explained, catching her arm again. "They can't seem to take 'no' for an answer."

This time she let him lead her away, leaning on him ever so slightly as they continued towards Ino's house again.

"How do you know Sasori?" Sasuke eventually asked.

"He's Kankuro's cousin," Sakura answered after a moment.

"Kankuro?"

"My ex-boyfriend."

Everything suddenly seemed to make sense concerning Sakura's familiarity with Sasori and his world. Sasuke didn't like hanging with Itachi and his friends but that didn't mean he knew nothing about them and he had heard quite a bit concerning the Suna drug dealer from Deidara.

"Anything else?" Sasuke demanded, hoping she might open up more to him about her past.

Sakura remained silent for a moment until a sigh escaped her lips. "Look, things were rather different in Suna. _I_ was different. I fell in love with the wrong guy, mixed with the wrong crowd and generally did some very stupid things. I didn't even realise what I was doing until it was too late. I trusted Kankuro, completely, _blindly_, he was my first love…"

Her face turned somber and Sasuke could tell she was lost in her thoughts, reliving specific memories.

"I should have known better," she finished, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Sasuke remained silent by her side and eventually Ino's house came in view.

**..~**~..**

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><p><strong>..~**~..<strong>

Sakura felt sick and tired and wanted nothing more than to brush her teeth and pass out on a bed, yet when she made her way towards the pool house, she noticed Sasuke still hadn't left her side.

"I can put myself to bed," she told him with a smile.

He kept on walking nonetheless. "Hn."

"Sasuke, you don't need to -"

"I'm not leaving," he replied, his voice leaving no room for discussion.

She looked back at him slightly stunned. Why was he even here? Why was he going out of his way to make sure she got back safely? Surely he had better things waiting for him back at the party. Surely he didn't want to be here.

Unless…

But Sakura didn't want to think about it. There was simply no way, _no way_ Sasuke cared about her. Sure they were friends and sure just like with the other guys he felt some stupid sense of duty towards her because she was a girl or Tsunade's niece or whatever... but to go to so much effort for her.

She blushed when she remembered how he'd confronted Sasori. She felt like such an idiot taking a tab and getting wasted like she had, thinking she had a chance to hold her own. If Sasuke's brother hadn't intervened, she probably would have followed Hidan without even realising.

And then Sasori…

Sakura didn't even want to think about what his presence in Konoha implied for her. He was sure to come find her again soon, she knew what he was like, and the next time, Sakura didn't know how she'd deal with him.

Everything was so messed up. All she'd wanted was to celebrate Ino's party with her friends and now she was being put to bed like a child by Uchiha Sasuke, who probably thought she was an idiot now.

"I'll be right back," Sakura told him once they reached Ino's bedroom and she stumbled across the room towards the bathroom, taking her ankle boots off as she did.

Using the toilet again after downing so much water, she washed her hands and proceeded to brush her teeth to get rid of the taste of tequila. She checked her reflection quickly in the mirror and was grateful that her make-up hadn't smeared although her eyes appeared slightly red.

She emerged from the bathroom and found Sasuke standing beside Ino's desk, his back turned to her as he stared at various photos scattered on the bedroom wall. He looked ridiculously attractive in light jeans and a black lightweight hoodie rolled up to his sleeves with a white V-neck shirt underneath. His ebony hair was sticking up in the back as usual, but it suited him. In fact, Sakura realised, Sasuke looked amazing no matter what he wore.

And he was here now… with her.

Sakura took a minute to compose herself and do her best not to act like a drunken fool anymore. She cleared her throat and he turned around, his eyes scanning her once more to make sure she was alright and again she was bewildered by his attention.

"I'm going to head to bed," she told him quietly.

"Will you be alright?"

"Head back to the party," she reassured him with a smile, sitting down on the edge of Ino's bed. "You've done more than enough already, I'll be fine. Just be sure to avoid Sasori and his friends, you guys were already in a fight last night. No need for a repeat."

He nodded once, watching her closely. "He comes near you again, let me know."

"Sasuke..."

"No, Sakura," he growled, staring her down as he stepped closer to the bed. "If any of those guys touch you again, you tell me. If any of them cause trouble, you tell me. No more doing things by yourself."

"Really, there's no need to -" The look he gave her, however, told her otherwise.

"I'm serious." His eyes burned with an intensity she'd never seen before as he lifted a hand to her face and brushed a stray strand of pink hair behind her ear. "I didn't like seeing that asshole touch you like that."

She felt her heart jolt at his words.

_Why, Sasuke? Why does it matter to you? Why are you even bothering with me?_

After a while, she nodded back at him and he turned away, saying goodnight over his shoulder before heading for the door.

"Wait!"

Before she even realised what she was doing, she jumped from the bed and caught his arm. His dark eyes flicked from her hand to her face and he waited for her to speak.

"Thanks for what you did… you didn't have to and yet… I mean…" She could feel her face flush with embarrassment as she rambled on and finally gathering up her courage, she whispered softly. "Thank you, Sasuke."

And without thinking, she stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek.

Surprise flashed briefly across his face and Sakura abruptly pulled back, regretting her action.

_I shouldn't have done that... Now he'll think I've turned into a fangirl and he'll avoid me and…_

Sasuke's hand curled around her wrist and her mind blanked as he gently tugged her back. She looked back in surprise, her green eyes searching his face as he moved in closer, suddenly inches away from her.

Her heart beat wildly as his hooded, dark eyes studied her face for a moment. He was so close that she could feel his hot breath on her lips, causing her mind to go blank. The look in his eyes became too much to bear and she averted her gaze just as he dipped his head down and boldly pressed his lips against hers.

The feel of his soft lips against her own caused her heart to jolt and she barely moved as his mouth slowly worked against hers, coaxing her. Sakura remembered to breathe again and felt her eyes flutter shut as she began to respond to him. Sasuke's mouth was hot against hers and she was immediately reminded why she had loved kissing him so much at Kiba's party. Angling her head, he immediately deepened the kiss, his tongue greedily plunging into her mouth. His mouth moved urgently against hers and she curled her hands around his neck, tugging his hair slightly and giving into her emotions and desire which grew to new heights every time his tongue glided across her own. She moaned against his mouth softly and his hands grasped her waist in response, pressing her closer to him. She could feel the warmth of his body seep through the thin material of her dress and making her dizzy.

Feeling his hands glide up to her rib cage, Sakura immediately slipped her hands to Sasuke's chest and pushed him away, effectively breaking them apart. What on earth were they doing? Were they really doing this? Was this really what they wanted or was this just the outcome of all the alcohol in their systems?

They breathed heavily, keeping close and neither wanting to let go. Sasuke kept his hands on Sakura's waist and his intense gaze remained locked on hers.

She swallowed hard. "Sasuke…" She trailed off not trusting her voice to speak.

_What are we doing?_

As if in answer to her silent question, his hand curled around her neck, his thumb slowly caressing her jawline before he captured her lips once more.

**..~**~..**

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><p><strong>I can't write kissing scenes to save my life! I had to rewrite the last part a bazillion times and I'm still not happy with it. If you like it, that's great, otherwise I'm open to suggestions. Anyway, I hope you appreciated things moving forward. They will keep moving forward from now on as you'll find out. Sorry I couldn't put every Akatsuki member in this chapter (it's long enough already) but at least you got to meet a few including Itachi and Shisui. I absolutely loved writing Hidan so he'll back and so will Sasori of course.<strong>

**What are you most looking forward to now?**

**Tell me in a review! sai xxx**


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